The Best of The Morning News / Jenison Autism Journal

The Morning News was a quarterly newsletter that documented the activities of a federal Challenge Grant, awarded to Jenison Public Schools, Michigan (JPS), from 1986 until 1991.  The goal of the grant project was to place our secondary students in general education classes, vocational training opportunities in the community, and to develop a curriculum and instructional strategies for those learning environments.  The newsletter was very informal, and many references in the listings below may not have page numbers (sometimes pages weren’t numbered!), or any indication of a volume or issue number.  Stuff like that came later.  In 1992, The Morning News changed its name to The Jenison Autism Journal.

Today, things and gadgets are outdated faster than ever before.  For this reason, it might seem that the value of The Morning News/Jenison Autism Journal might have diminished over the years.  That doesn’t seem to be the case.  Day-to-day solutions are still as valuable today as they were in years past; and practicality was the hallmark of this newsletter.  For example, in the early 1990s, homework was a frequent source of stress for many students with autism and their caregivers; as it is today.  In the list of articles below, you will find two issues of The Morning News dedicated to solutions to the challenges surrounding homework. The list of helpful information goes on and on – in fact, you’ll find it all conveniently sorted and cross-referenced by topic.

Jenison Public Schools distributed the final issue of The Jenison Autism Journal spring of 2004.  It became Autism Spectrum Quarterly, with Dr. Diane Twactman-Cullen C.C.C.-S.L.P. as Editor.  For more information visit asquarterly.com.

For more information about The Morning News/Jenison Autism Journal, and the interesting role that its subscribers played in the success of the grant project, check the Social Story History section of this website.  Have fun exploring!