As the weather in much of the US starts to cool down, things at Floreo are heating up! We have some exciting content in the works, including the next series of lessons we have been developing with the State of Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities that focus on employment-related skills. We also have some other much-requested lessons in the works and can't wait to announce their release soon. Stay tuned for those announcements as well as some new features that we think our Coaches will love!

It is a great time of year to revisit the Trick-or-Treat lesson with your Learner; keep reading to get a refresher of what you can expect!

Recent Events
META TEACHER POP-UPS

Members of our team enjoyed sharing Floreo at the Meta Teacher Pop-Up in Brooklyn this past weekend. We will also be at Meta's Naperville, IL pop-up on November 6. Let us know if you plan to be there! Thank you again to Meta for the opportunity to meet so many enthusiastic and inspiring teachers.

Meet the Team
SPOTLIGHT ON FLOREO'S LEAD SELF ADVOCATE

Floreo's Lead Self Advocate, Sam Farmer, brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Floreo. As a husband, father, information technology consultant, musician, writer/author, public speaker and, as somebody who was late-diagnosed as autistic, which inspired him to become a neurodiversity community self-advocate, Sam’s perspective is unique and invaluable to us as we work to build evidence-based and engaging lessons.

At Floreo, Sam works closely with our clinical team by reviewing Floreo lessons while they are still under development as well as offering guidance as to how Floreo can approach future lessons in a way that considers what is ideal for autistic Learners. The feedback he has provided regarding not-yet-released lessons relates to proper expectation setting for the Learner, ideas for the written guidance provided to the Coach, and suggestions as to how the lessons can be more impactful for Learners. 

When Sam is not working or spending time with his family, he enjoys playing piano, singing and writing songs, reading non-fiction, the Boston sports scene and his neurodiversity community advocacy efforts which primarily include writing, podcasting, public speaking and promoting his book, A Long Walk Down a Winding Road - Small Steps, Challenges, & Triumphs Through an Autistic Lens. To learn more about Sam, please visit his website.

Spotlight on a Floreo lesson
TRICK-OR-TREAT

Are you getting into the fall spirit? If your Learner will be participating in Trick-or-Treating this Halloween, get them prepared for the experience by playing our Trick-or-Treat lesson. Your Learner can practice a routine to understand what to expect when Trick-or-Treating, as well as social skills like remembering to say "Please" and "Thank you" when requesting candy.

To make things extra fun, have your Learner dress up in their favorite costume and have the Coach place a piece of real candy in their hand or bag during the lesson. Floreo character Emma is dressed up in her Halloween costume too!

Find the Trick-or-Treat lesson in the Community & Daily Living or the Infrequent Events skill categories. Or read more about it and all of the lessons in our library. We would love to hear how it helped your Learner!

Funding ideas
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU GAIN FUNDING FOR FLOREO?

We know that budgets can be tight and we want to help get Floreo into the hands of anyone who needs it! If we can help write up your DonorsChoose application (teachers) or provide information for a grant you have identified (anyone!) please let us know.

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

• Temple Grandin's new book aims to demonstrate the power of processing information in different ways
• Autistic people at increased genetic risk of sleep problems
• People with autism often struggle with the ‘hidden curriculum’ of a workplace culture designed by and for neurotypical minds
• How leaders can support and embrace the untapped potential of neurodiverse talent