The Autism Nest Model

The Autism Nest Model describes the people, processes, program structures and strategies essential for producing strong, positive educational outcomes for autistic children. Well-researched, and using evidence-based practices, it incorporates strategies that build on areas of strength and support areas of common difficulties, including sensory processing, social development, and self-regulation. The Nest Model is designed for use in grades K-12. However, this book focuses on the elementary version which serves students in K-5th grade.

Formulated in response to the severe shortage of educational programs for school-age autistic children, the Nest Model helps schools create inclusive settings in which children engage comfortably and successfully.

The original book, The ASD Nest Model, presented the Nest Model from conception in 2001 through development and implementation in 2012. It established the foundation of the Nest program from which the current model evolved. This second edition covers the entire period of 20-plus years from conception to the present, showcasing the evolution of the model over that period. The book's change in title from The ASD Nest Model to The Autism Nest Model is indicative of the evolution not only of language but also the understanding and practice that the new edition reflects.

This new edition has three parts. Part One highlights the foundational strategies and supports of the model during its first ten years, including the partnership between the New York City Public Schools and the Nest Model developers. Part Two describes the ongoing development and evolution of the program across the following 10 years, with a focus on neurodiversity-affirming practices, including what the authors have learned from the autistic community, updated research, and changes in the field. Part Three presents challenges to scaling the model, and considerations for responding to those challenges, while highlighting the outstanding successes of the program across two decades.

Shirley Cohen earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She worked as a kindergarten and first grade teacher, a remedial reading teacher, and a teacher of children with autism before becoming a faculty member at Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY.) Dr. Cohen held numerous roles at the college: Director of the CUNY/NYS Regional Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders; Chair of the Department of Special Education;
Associate Dean and Interim Dean of the Hunter College School of Education. Dr. Cohen, the author of several books in the area of disability, worked with colleagues from New York University and Hunter College to develop the Nest program and co-edited the

original edition of the book on that Model. She retired from Hunter College in 2011.

Allison Graham Brown is the Executive Director of the Nest Support Project at New York University (NYU) in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Allison earned a BA in psychology from Ohio State University and an MA in education from NYU. Allison has been a proud member of the Nest community since 2006, beginning as a New York City Public School special education teacher at the first Nest middle school. In 2013, she joined the Nest Support Project at NYU
and held numerous roles: Instructional Support Specialist, Director of Professional Development, and Director of the Secondary Education Department. During her tenure she supported the launch of the Nest model in Denmark and led the development of the Nest high school model. Allison has been an adjunct lecturer at Hunter College and NYU. Allison partners with school communities, specifically working with school leadership to enhance their equitable and inclusive practices, deepen understanding of neurodiversity, and implementing neurodiversity-affirming and strength based practices.