SpEAC Leading Autism Acceptance in Moorestown Schools

Anji Silveri /Moorestown Special Education Advisory Council

The Moorestown Special Education Advisory Council (SpEAC) has long been committed to fostering understanding and inclusion across the school district. Each year, the SpEAC downloads materials from the Autism New Jersey Ambassador Hub and distributes them throughout the district to support their autism awareness initiatives. These resources are shared with the supervisor of special education and the district director, then passed along to individual schools.

In the past, SpEAC volunteers have assembled packets of materials and delivered them directly to schools. Parents often come in to help hand out stickers or support activities.

SpEAC has provided schools with rack cards placed in teachers’ mailboxes, stickers for both staff and students, lesson ideas and educational materials.

Anji Silveri and The Moorestown Special Education Advisory Council: Proud Autism New Jersey Ambassadors

Lower elementary schools often host hands‑on activities, such as bubble stations or puzzle‑piece projects. Some schools share a “fact of the day” about autism in its morning announcements during April. Middle and high schools focus more on promoting inclusion, especially during Inclusive Schools Week in December, when large banners encourage students to treat everyone with kindness.

Across the district’s roughly 4,000 students, these activities help normalize conversations about neurodiversity. Past SpEAC chair Anji Silveri, who has a 12-year-old with autism, said some of her favorite moments are when students tell her stories about their siblings or friends on the spectrum.

“There are so many students now who have autism,” Anji said. “Everyone wants to learn about it.”

For Anji, it’s important for students to understand that every person has value and differences don’t diminish someone’s worth. Many classrooms include at least one or two autistic students, and learning how to interact kindly and respectfully benefits everyone, she said.

Todd VonDeak, the current SpEAC chair, said the group helps remind the community that there aren’t “two groups”—those with autism and those without. There is one community, he said, and everyone belongs in it.