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Family Involvement Starts Here(F.I.S.H.)! Parents and guardians are a vital part of student success and learning. Every student at L.A.C.E.S. will have a communication folder that we complete each day. Please make sure to go over the folder every night with your child and return it in their backpacks! This is a great way to start conversations about how your child's day was at school. Ask what activities they completed at the different learning stations, as well as in therapy. If you have important information to relay to LACES staff please let us know in the "Notes from Parents" section. Please make sure your students takes their folder to school every day!

L.A.C.E.S. (Lovington Autism Center for Education and Services) was established in 2010 in order to provide autism-specific support for Lovington students with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. L.A.C.E.S provides support for students on all levels of the autism spectrum both on the LACES campus and in the general education classroom! L.A.C.E.S. is a model site with UNM Autism Programs through the National Professional Development Council. As a model site, we have received years of training and support in order to provide our students with autism specific interventions and services. Part of the agreement with UNM, is that we offer training for surrounding districts in NM in the form of guided tours and trainings! At the LACES building, we provide students with instruction in the following areas as needed and determined by the students IEP (Individual Education Plan) team!

• Reading
• Writing
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Money Math
• Adaptive P.E.
• Weights and Fitness
• Art/Fine Motor
• Housekeeping
• Cooking
• Job Skills
• Relaxation Skills
• Sensory Integration
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Early Intervention Services
• Social Skill Development
• AAC (Augmented and Alternative Communication) Device use and implementation

L.A.C.E.S. provides services for students on all points of the autism spectrum. However, the autism spectrum is not linear with some students being "low functioning" and other being "high functioning". These labels often fail to recognize the unique strengths, challenges and differences of individuals with autism. People who are considered “low-functioning” can be dismissed or denied opportunities, while those considered “high-functioning” may not receive support services that are needed greatly.

The autism wheel is a helpful tool that does a great job of visually representing how autism may appear in different people. The autism wheel features a collection of typical characteristics of autism including: sensory sensitivities, special interests, anxiety, stimming, academic abilities, executive functioning, social and communication challenges, and more. The wheel graphic lets each person express the degree to which they function in these different areas.

This tool can help individuals with autism and the people around them understand their unique needs. Someone who is considered “high-functioning” may appear to not need as much support, but when we look at their wheel, we may see that although they don’t struggle to learn academic material, they may have significant difficulty with social situations, sensory integration and executive functioning. This person is no more or less autistic than any other autistic person, they just need more support in different areas than others.

Everyone’s autism wheel will look a little different – and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. No two people are the same, and everyone’s individual autistic experience should be recognized, celebrated, and supported.

Did you know that children with autism often have strong visual skills? Many students with autism have a great eye for visual details, so remember to use this strength when working with your child! Information that is presented visually is more concrete, lasts longer and is often more clear than spoken language.

You can help your child learn by presenting information visually. For example:

• Put visual reminders around your house. If your child can read, these can be written words, but they can also be pictures.
• Take photos of the different play activities your child can do, and put them on an ‘activity board’ as a reminder or to help your child make a choice.
• Take photos of the different steps involved in daily activities, like packing a back pack, getting dressed in the morning, or a night-time routine. Place the picture sequence on a wall or location near where your child does each activity. Help your child learn how these pictures correlate with the steps needed to complete the task. Slowly allow your child to take the lead by starting or finishing off a task following the pictures independently. It is important to slowly decrease the amount of prompting and involvement you give always working toward independence!
• If you would like to learn more about this, please contact a teacher or therapist at LACES, we would love to help you! We are able to help create schedules to be used at home and/or problem solve challenges parts of your child's day and the way visual supports can help!

The date has been set for this year's Lovington Lights it Up Blue Autism Awareness Event! The event will be held at the Lea County Fairgrounds on March 29, 2025! More Information to follow! If you would like to be a member of the Light it Up Blue Planning Committee and/or our LACES Booster Club, please reach out to us! We would love to have you!

9/4/23 - No School for Labor Day Holiday!

9/5/23 - School Pictures for some LACES students and Staff at Sixth Grade Academy.

• SGA is our school base for picture day. If your student is at their general education school in the mornings, they will take school pictures at that building. However if your child is at LACES during that time, we will take pictures at the SGA. We will send more information about picture day at SGA including order forms after the holiday.

• August 21- Lovington High School (9-10)

  August 22- Lovington High School (11-12)

  September 3- Taylor Middle School

  September 5 – Sixth Grade Academy

  September 10- Yarbro Elementary

  September 12- Jefferson Elementary

  September 18- Llano Picture Day

  September 19- Ben Alexander

  September 24- Lea Elementary