Each year we are thrilled to assist many dedicated educators, One of our 2015/ 2016 Teacher's Award recipients is from Fallbrook Union, who sees many of her former mainstream students with autism sitting on the sidelines at recess and lunch. She intends to start a “Friends helping Friends” inclusion program utilizing social thinking strategies and activities by Michelle Garcia Winner to connect her special day students with their mainstream peers.
Another educator in Encinitas is starting a “Lunch Buddy Program” where the social skills strategies she is teaching in weekly structured lessons will be expanded to generalization activities facilitated during recess with typical peers. NFAR funding will assist this teacher with the necessary training and supplies.
2015/2016 Teacher Award Recipients:
| District | School Name | Project Title |
| El Centro Elementary | Kennedy Middle School | iPads for Students |
| Encinitas Union School District | Campo Elementary/Middle School | Ability Awareness |
| Encinitas Union School District | El Camino Creek Elementary School | Motor Lab |
| Encinitas Union School District | El Camino Creek Elementary School | Starting a Sensory Space |
| Encinitas Union School District | La Costa Heights | Communication Enhancement |
| Encinitas Union School District | La Costa Heights | Increase Resources for Students With Autism |
| Encinitas Union School District | La Costa Heights | Touch Math |
| Encinitas Union School District | Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary | Lunch buddies social skills program for social inclusion of students with ASD |
| Encinitas Union School District | Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary | Hands on/project based learning |
| Fallbrook Union Elementary School District | James E. Potter Jr High | Classroom Fidgets |
| Fallbrook Union Elementary School District | Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School | Integrated Play Model |
| Fallbrook Union Elementary School District | WIlliam H. Frazier School | Friends Helping Friends: Facilitating Social Skills Through Peer Models |
| Grossmont Union High School District | Monte Vista High School | Classroom iPad |
| Lakeside Union School District | Lakeview Elementary | Social learning across grades |
| Lakeside Union School District | Lakeview Elementary | Strength and Support for Whole Group Inclusion |
| Mountain Empire School District | Campo Elementary/Middle School | What do you mean I'm learning? Learning through Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) |
| Mountain Empire School District | Campo Elementary/Middle School | Bridging the gap- Technology in the classroom |
| National School District | Lincoln Acres Elementary School | Emotional Regulation/Social Thinking Counseling Groups |
| Oceanside Unified School District | Garrison Elementary School | Eastern Box Turtle: An Academic, Social, and Life Skills project |
| Oceanside Unified School District | TERI Learning Academy | Unique Learning System |
| Poway Unified School District | Abraxas High School | Digital Media Package for video modeling and projects |
| Poway Unified School District | Adobe Bluffs Elementary | Developing Social and Cognitive Skills Through Play |
| Poway Unified School District | Adobe Bluffs Elementary | Math supplies and materials |
| Poway Unified School District | Creekside Elementary School | School-based Sensory Regulation |
| Poway Unified School District | Creekside Elementary School | Opening a New Autism Classroom |
| Poway Unified School District | Highland Ranch E.S. | The Sensory Corner |
| Poway Unified School District | Park Village Elementary | Expressive Language: Bridging the Gap Through Social Understanding |
| Poway Unified School District | Pomerado Elementary School | STEM in Preschool |
| Poway Unified School District | Pomerado Elementary School | Video Modeling Project |
| Poway Unified School District | Stone Ranch | Visually supported Play |
| Poway Unified School District | Westview High School | Vicarious Social Skills Video Modeling |
| Riverside County Office of Education | Mount San Jacinto Community College - Menifee Campus | Workability and Job Study Access for Students |
| San Diego Unified School District | Hage Elementary | We can swing and bounce!! |
| San Diego Unified School District | Hickman Elementary | LEGO Based Therapy Social Skills Club |
| San Diego Unified School District | Jerabek Elementary School | Systematic and Explicit Reading Program |
| San Diego Unified School District | Memorial Preparatory | Boardmaker Online: IEP Goals, Tasks, Assessment |
| San Diego Unified School District | Museum School-Charter School | Reading Comprehension |
| San Diego Unified School District | Perkins Elementary School | Emotional Regulation and Perspective Taking through Literacy and Related Play |
| San Diego Unified School District | Rodriguez Elementary | Teaching Life Skills Through Multiple Modalities |
| San Diego Unified School District | Serra High School | TTAP materials kit |
| San Diego Unified School District | Walker Elementary School | Systematic and Explicit Reading Instruction |
| San Diego Unified School District | Whittier School | Fitness Lab Expansion |
| San Diego Unified School District | Whittier School | Bouncing our way to Productive Classroom Participation: Therapy Ball Chairs |
| San Marcos Unified School DIstrict | Woodland Park Middle School | Behavioral and Social Skill Supports |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | East Hills Academy | Vocational/daily living skills |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | East Hills Academy | Storyboard |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | East Hills Academy | Vocational Curriculum |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | Eastlake High School | Planting Seeds for Social Skills a Farming based Project |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | Hilltop High School | Better Math Through Video Modeling |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | Mar Vista High School | iPad for my Moderate/Severe Transition Class |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | Montgomery High School | Technology Tools |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | Rancho Del Rey Middle School | Let's Read! |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | Rancho Del Rey Middle School | LET'S LEARN FUNCTIONAL MATH |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | San Ysidro High School | Multisensory room with sensory stations |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | San Ysidro High School | Deep Pressure and Proprioceptive Sensory Supports |
| Temecula Valley Unified School District | Erle Stanley Gardner Middle School | Adapted Switches & Software Help Non Verbal Students with Autism and Fine Motor Delays Communicate |
| Temecula Valley Unified School District | Gardner Middle School | Vocational Skills Increase Campus Job Opportunities for Students with Autism |
| Temecula Valley Unified School District | Paloma Elementary School | Social Language Deficits and Autism: How to provide Evidence Based Interventions |
| TERI | Learning Academy | Reading and Comprehension for All |
| Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District | Valley Center Primary School | Accessiblity of Learning through Technology |