New Option for February 2025 Onwards: Pre-Recorded Videos!

​This option is to accommodate those whose schedule is super tight and learn best by videos. This shall be recorded by Zoom and I can send the link to the schools/providers themselves.  

Bundles

​I have several options for one teacher/staff, five and even ten staff members. I work with the main schools/providers to have the best plan for them. Additional content can be included like my “Investing in Self-Determination" series for families.  

Available Topics 

Personal Topics:

​Outsider's Take on Autism, Adulthood and Connection
Andrew Arboe goes over his childhood and the inspirations that shaped him into the adult he is today. Andrew believes that these inspirations shaped his viewpoints and how he handles autism advocacy as a outsider due to lack of resources upon aging out. Due to being absent to the Autism scene until 2015/2016 and going the professional route, it gives him a gray take on autism. He covers his ten-year journey in this presentation with various real-life examples, photos. He finally gives advice to not just advocates, but parents as well on what he learned overall to celebrate life.
*Available for Professional Development and Keynote Presentation*


Autism and Adulthood: Personal Growth 

Autism can be complex as each person has varying needs.  It goes into milestones like transitioning to adulthood where internal and external factors can affect that transition. Some states agencies can provide consistent services, while families in other states are stuck within years of waitlists. Andrew focuses on the transition and what can be done before aging out of special education because he believes that individuals and parents have the power within to do more and not have to wait on someone or something. No matter what language, viewpoint on autism, or what organizations you support, I intend to empower you from my materials and live talks.  

Autism and Advocacy

Advocacy is the step of how someone can take charge for their lives. Advocacy can be seen as at the local, state and federal levels. It can also be seen as hands up work in nonprofits and schools working directly with a population. Within this board area of advocacy, lived experience becomes powerful and personal. Viewpoints can be enhanced by nuance or not as everyone has their own advocacy style for better or worse. Andrew goes over his approach for advocacy and why nuance is important for any advocate to address. 
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Mindful Advocacy
Self-Advocates and those interested in advocacy can learn about how to create meaningful advocacy and what pitfalls to avoid at the same time. Based on my experiences, I have come to terms with my views and the many online spaces surrounding me.


Customized Topic Request

Autism and Adulthood: Personal Growth 

Autism can be complex as each person has varying needs.  It goes into milestones like transitioning to adulthood where internal and external factors can affect that transition. Some states agencies can provide consistent services, while families in other states are stuck within years of waitlists. Andrew focuses on the transition and what can be done before aging out of special education because he believes that individuals and parents have the power within to do more and not have to wait on someone or something. No matter what language, viewpoint on autism, or what organizations you support, I intend to empower you from my materials and live talks.  
Autism and Learning to Driving/Transportation

Driving is one of those topics that do not always get covered by providers and schools. Throughout my focus on this topic, I found about three reoccurring issues. The first issue is the external factors or resources of an individual’s state. The second issue being a lack of providers who are trained in working with the autism population. Finally, the third issue is usually the level of anxiety an individual or family may have about driving. Therefore, I focused on sharing how these issues can be overcome by going over my personal experiences and strategies I developed over the years to families. Knowledge can be empowering for families, and I want them to come up with ideas of my own and use it for their own paths. Driving or transportation is personal for each person, and I intend to respect that. 
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What Driving Provided to Me: An Autistic Perspective on Driving
Learn from a self-advocate perspective on how he got into driving and how that ended up empowering him ever since then. Learning to drive had its barriers from a lack of discussion from an autistic individual perspective. With little to work from, Andrew had to do it on his own and with his dad. Once he obtained his license, he advocated for driving resources ever since to make life more doable for autistic individuals. Andrew goes over driving strategies and real-life examples of his favorite drives. Over 5 years of insight from all his driving journeys. 

Transportation 101
Targeted for schools and providers who want to know what to look at for empowering individuals and families on transportation. We cover public buses, driving and anything else people can use to be independent. 

​Customized Topic Request
Special Education 

Special Education can be empowering to individuals. While it can be complex with the laws and regulations, there is always something parents and professionals can do to ensure that the IEP plan is followed. This is why collaborations like ECHO Autism can help with that. It is a virtual meet up program that aims to bring knowledge to communities by collaborating with local and state providers nationwide. 

Growing up in Special Education: The Ups and Downs of my Journey 
Andrew talks about his experiences growing up in special education classes throughout his school life. Looking at his professional lens from working in two schools as a paraprofessional/teacher assistant, he tells what the department did well and what areas could have been done better. Andrew hopes that can provide his audience with ideas of how they can engage with not just autistic students, but every other population in special education. Andrew made this presentation for those who come after him.  

Exploration of Special Interests and How They Shaped my Life
We go over the autism term for special interests, intensive hobbies that could develop into a door for themselves and others to access. The term used to be seen as negative until the last decade when more people spoke about its potential. I go over my acceptance and how I use my special interest for my professional and social lifes. I also go over troubles that came up and the lessons it provided me.  

​Using Play to Create Routine & Purpose for Autistic Adults 
"Inspired by the play theory of Straut Brown, Andrew makes a case for professionals to invest in using play histories of young adults to create routines to establish structures after aging out of school. Andrew uses his own experiences to illustrate how using childhood passions introduced him to life themes and by finding a community group helped increase his self-confidence. His own play style helped him find purpose and be empowered in finding his professional passion through autism work."

​Job Coaching 101
Designed for school professionals, this topic goes over tips to make your job coaching go to the next level. Having job coached for almost three years, Andrew will review concepts and experiences he had to help you make the most out of this impactful role. 


Taking the Extra Steps: Teacher Assistant Tips!
Drawn from his experiences from working at a public and private school systems, Andrew wants to give back to the special education landscape with this topic targeting teacher assistants/ales/paraprofessionals. This presentation will review various tips and instructional strategies to give your staff an edge in their work. Being proactive is key for working in special education, therefore empowering your students! 


Reframing Post-Transitioning to Adulthood
"Transition or aging out of special education services can be scary for anyone to the point that is the perception it makes for itself. It is a perception that makes people miss various opportunities and experience negative mental health issues. Andrew believes that it doesn’t have to be this perception and that reframing it as a journey can help families and individuals move forward as life does not end at age 22. By self-pacing and following your strengths, you can make transitioning more positive, while accepting the scary/negative perception around you." 


Customized Topic Request
Employment 

Employment has been documented as one of the challenges individuals face upon aging out of school. It is also the most stereotyped with some thinking all individuals should do tech jobs. This is why I aim to decrease that stereotype by going over that the world has many work fields and that it is okay to not be tech based. I am part of human services, and my work history reflects that.

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Planning for Employment
Due to the employment situation with autistic individuals, this goes over what to do in order to gain employment and going over the standards for doing interviews and being ready for success. This presentation also goes over self-employment as well and Andrew will go over his experiences running Driving with Autism and the lessons he learned. 

Want to Start an Online Business?  Introduction to Self-Employment
For those who are interested in self-employment, I go over my experiences in starting the Driving with Autism program for almost a year. I go over what worked and what did not work for me, so people can know what to make sure they include in their business idea. ​

My Wish for Future Employment Programs
Originally presented for the 2025 ICAN Autism Conference, I go over my wishes for employment programs, companies and providers can consider for their autism initiatives. I go over how stereotypes affected my initial employment search and how I came in terms of being in the human services field. I make a case of embracing the diversity of the community in creating programs in non-tech fields like education and looking at existing inclusive models and experiences can serve as inspiration for future investment in models and programs. 

Freelancing 101
This unusual employment presentation focuses on why one would do freelance along with reviewing the positives and negatives of this pathway. Andrew’s own brand will be used as an example of his freelancing and an Indepth look on how he operates it. Learn about the tools you can use and how to create the desired portfolio/website platform for your path.
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​Customized Topic Request

Q&A

Do you do any in-person talks? 
Yes, I do, while it is mostly evenings. It is why I created the pre-recorded videos plan so I can still empower your workplace. 

Are your videos updated often? 
Of course! Topic content and experiences change over time, and I always change my slides around to make the most impact. 

Do you tackle other states beyond Connecticut and Massachusetts? 
Yes, I spoke for states in Florida, Maryland, and New Mexico in the past. My aim is to present nationwide as humanly possible. 

Do you have any school experience? 
I worked as a job coach/para at Plainville Community Schools and at FOCUS Center for Autism as a Teacher Assistant. You can find the rest of my professional history here.   

​Let's collaborative for your next event!