After the Diagnosis: Improving Maternal Mental Health

By Lee Wilkinson from Examiner.com

Parents worldwide often experience a range of emotions when their child is first diagnosed with autism, including shock, sadness and grief, anger, and loneliness. Mothers, in particular, appear to face unique challenges that potentially have an impact on their mental health and wellbeing. This includes high levels of psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and social isolation. Almost 40% of mothers report levels of clinically significant parenting stress and between 33% and 59% report significant depressive symptoms following a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The prevalence of psychological distress among mothers of children with ASD suggests a need for interventions that address parental mental health during the critical period after the child’s autism diagnosis and when parents are learning to navigate the complex system of autism services.

Read more HERE.

Help for Schools: Understanding ASD

By Judy Endow, MSW Special Education Articles  From Special Education Advisor

Due to the media speculation that Adam Lanza, the suspect in the recent Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, may have been affected with Asperger Syndrome, concern has developed on several fronts. Of immediate  concern is fear that students returning to school who have been previously identified with having an Autism Spectrum Disorder may now be stigmatized, especially those who may exhibit meltdown behaviors in the educational setting.

The politically incorrect question on everybody’s mind is, “Are students with ASD dangerous when they have meltdowns and might this behavior lead to another Sandy Hook kind of incident at our school?”

Read more HERE.

National Autism Association - Big Red Safety Box

(From the National Autism Association Website)

At this time, we are assembling inventory for our next round of Big Red Safety Boxes, we will begin taking requests through our website at 11:00 am ET on Wednesday, August 1st.  Please be sure to join our mailing list to receive program announcements and details.  We will have only 2,000 boxes available and we expect them to be gone very quickly.  Please note that we are unable to accept requests until the program opens on August 1st. 

The National Autism Association is committed to those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who may be prone to wandering off or eloping from a safe environment, and may be unable to recognize danger and/or stay safe. Wandering, elopement, “running” or fleeing behaviors among those within our community not only present unique safety risks, but also create extraordinary worry and stress among caregivers. Drowning fatalities following wandering incidents remain a leading cause of death among those with ASD.

As such, the National Autism Association provides direct assistance to law enforcement agencies and caregivers. FOUND supplies funding to search-and-rescue agencies in need of tracking technology and training, and the Big Red Safety Box is a free-of-charge toolkit given to autism families in need as a means to educate, raise awareness and share simple tools that may assist them in preventing, and responding to, wandering-related emergencies.

Contents of the Big Red Safety Box include the following resources:

1) Educational materials and tools:

•  A caregiver checklist
•  A Family Wandering Emergency Plan
•  A first-responder profile form
•  A wandering-prevention brochure
•  A sample IEP Letter

2) Two (2) Door/Window Alarms with batteries

3) One (1) RoadID Personalized, Engraved Shoe ID Tag

4) Five (5) Laminated Adhesive Stop Sign Visual Prompts for doors and windows

5) Two (2) Safety Alert Window Clings for car or home windows

6) One (1) Red Safety Alert Wristband

More information HERE.

Help For Autism Dwindles After High School

MONDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Almost 40 percent of young adults with autism get no medical, mental health or case management services to help them make the transition into adulthood, new research has found.

The lack of services is even more pronounced among blacks and low-income people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Blacks were more than three times more likely to not get any services than whites, while families with incomes of less than $25,000 are nearly six times more likely to get no services than families with incomes of more than $75,000.

Read more of Jenifer Goodwin,HealthDay Reporter article HERE

Joey Travolta's Summer Inclusion Film Camp

from Futures Explored, INC.

The Joey Travolta summer film camp is designed to address social cognitive communication and interpersonal skills of individuals diagnosed with high functioning autism or asperger’s syndrome. The camp offers ASD campers the educational opportunity to learn the process of making a short film [while divided into two age groups ranging from 9-14 and 15-22] under the guidance and instruction of Joey Travolta and his professional teaching and film crew, while working alongside their typically developing peers. Campers are taken through a step by step process of making a film learning the following skills: pre/post production, acting, directing, editing, technical support, and camera filming. Finally, campers will develop their own “group” short film, while following the standards used in the professional filmmaking industry. This is truly a unique opportunity for campers to learn socially and experientially, while developing actual skills used in filmmaking.

Read more HERE.

Cognitive Skills in Children with Autism Vary and Improve, Study Finds

Article adapted by the Autism Society from a press release of the Society for Research in Child Development:

New study from the Society for Research in Child Development

People with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are thought to have a specific profile of cognitive strengths and weaknesses—difficulties appreciating others’ thoughts and feelings, problems regulating and controlling their behavior, and an enhanced ability to perceive details— but few studies have tracked children’s cognitive skills over time. Now new longitudinal research provides clues that can inform our understanding of ASD.

“Parents and clinicians already know that the behavioral signs of ASD wax and wane throughout development,” notes Elizabeth Pellicano, senior lecturer of autism education at the Institute of Education in London, who carried out the study. “What we know a lot less about is how the cognitive skills of children with ASD change over time. In this study, we found that these skills vary from child to child, and also that some of them can improve over time.”

MORE

Autism Health Insurance Hearing

State Senator Darrell Steinberg invites you to an informational hearing on insurance coverage for Autism related medically necessary services. Insurance companies, the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance will all be participating in this hearing. All testimony and information to be included must be received by 5pm Friday, May 21st. All testimony and information to be included must be received by 5pm Friday, May 21st. Click on the image to enlarge.

View the agenda HERE.

For more information, please contact:
Louis A. Vismara MD
Policy Consultant to Senator Darrell Steinberg
Office of the President Pro Tempore
The State Capitol, Rm. 415
Sacramento, CA 95814
Ph. 916-651-4189
Fax. 916-327-8867
louis.vismara@sen.ca.gov

Get to Know Your District: Autism Task Force

What is the Autism Task Force?

The Autism Task Force is made up of parents, teachers, administrators, behavior analysts, psychologists, parent liaison, and occupational therapists volunteering for the purpose of providing ongoing support and training to the Mt. Diablo Community. We are currently focusing our efforts on providing parent and teacher workshops as well as fundraising to support the ASD community in the district. In years past, we have also supported the development of autism-specific programming in the District.


Who is a part of the Autism Task Force?

Teachers, administrators, parents, behavior analysts, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, interested community members.


How do you contact the Autism Task Force?

Our current contact person is Joel Vidovic who is best reached via district email (vidovicj@mdusd.k12.ca.us) and may alternatively be reached via telephone at (925) 682-8000 ext. 4216


How can people get involved in the Task Force?

We have three basic levels of involvement. First of all, we have a core group of members who lead the group through new projects and ongoing monitoring of policies and practices. These individuals have committed to regular attendance at Task Force meetings and consistent involvement in Task Force activities. Secondly, people may attend our meetings and become volunteers during Task Force events to gain more knowledge about the Task Force prior to becoming core members. Finally, people may feel free to come to our meetings as attendees who are just interested in listening and learning more about the group and our current projects.


Any additional information you would like to add about the Autism Task Force?

It is the hope of the group that all participants in Task Force meetings and events function as a team working towards a common goal- support for the population of students and families with ASD.

Autism Presentation

WHAT: Presentation on The Necessary Elements of an Effective Language-Based Program for Young Children with ASD by Dr. James Partington.

WHEN: Thursday, April 22

TIME: 7pm.

WHERE: Behavior Analysts, Walnut Creek


COST: None

RSVP: (925)210-9370

Active Reading Clinic

The Active Reading Clinic develops reading skills using the Reading Revolution™ method, a multi sensory, multi-intelligence approach to reading. It integrates all the different intelligences and teaches to the student’s strengths through games and activities. It is based on phonics but we add the kinesthetic, or physical component, which is absolutely necessary for non-traditional learners (those who don’t learn through the visual or auditory intelligences alone, as in a traditional classroom environment). We use the Socratic method. This allows students to develop their own critical and logical thinking skills while learning to read, leading to increased confidence and
self-esteem. We work with many different kinds of students: those with dyslexia, auditory processing disorders, lack of visual memory, ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s, autism, Down’s syndrome, and the many students who are kinesthetic learners and just need a different way to process information.

Our founder is Judy Kranzler, a resident of Walnut Creek, who first opened the Active Reading Clinic in 1985. It was Judy’s own experience struggling to read with dyslexia and ADHD that, as an adult, led her to create a reading program that would be effective for non-traditional learners. She developed the Reading Revolution™ method to support kinesthetic learners like herself.

ASD parent support group meeting Monday April 12th @ Barnes & Noble

Monday, April 12, 2010-
The Walnut Creek Barnes & Noble ASD parent support group meeting is from 7-9 pm, the 2nd Monday of each month.
Topic: A review of the Scientific Evidence to support an environmental role in ASD, and what can be done about it.
Guest speaker: Toril Jelter M.D. FAAP

Toril H. Jelter MD FAAP
37 Quail Court Suite 201
Walnut Creek, CA. 94596
Phone (925) 788-8904
Fax (925) 947-1075
Website: http://www.drjelter.com

This parents group meets at 7 pm on the second Monday of each month - upstairs in Barnes & Noble in Walnut Creek on N. Main Street. Further speaker information will be updated on this web site. http://www.AspergersResource.org

SF Giants Autism Awareness Night

WHAT: SF Giants Autism Awareness Night, San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies. Join the Giants as they partner with Autism Speaks to raise awareness about this developmental disorder! Your special event ticket package includes a Will Clark-themed Giants item only available through this offer, and proceeds from each ticket sold will be donated directly to Autism Speaks.

WHEN: April 30

TIME: 7 PM

COST: Tickets are $32 lower reserved, $25 upper reserved.

To purchase tickets, contact Brian Eck at (415) 972-2295, or beck@sfgiants.com.

CHC in Palo Alto Needs Participants for Autism Study

Children’s Health Council (CHC) is conducting a 16 week clinical research study in Palo Alto, CA. The study focuses on evaluating the safety and effectiveness of an investigational medication for children with Autism between the ages of 3 and 6. All clinical study-related care including physical exams, psychological testing and study medication will be provided at no cost.
Read more HERE.

Transition Planning by Orion Academy

WHAT: Orion Academy's 4th annual seminar on post-high school transition planning for your adults with aspergers, NLD and other neurocognitive deficits. Keynote speaker Joey Travolta has a background in show business, as well as having been a special-education teacher, Joey facilitates film camps in several states around the country for students on the Autistic Spectrum.

TOPICS: What is transition planning and when should it start, Transition to College and Greater Independence, Support for Parents,Special Needs Trusts and Estate Planning

WHEN: Saturday - March 20th, 2010

TIME: 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

WHERE: Lafayette Park Hotel, 3287 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette

COST: $100 (Includes lunch and informational binder

REGISTRATION: Required due to limited seating. Download form HERE.

Free LAMP Workshop in Oakland

WHAT: Putting LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning ) to Work: AAC Strategies for Promoting the Development of Communication for Individuals with ASD, offered by Prentke Romich Company (PRC)

WHEN: August 19

TIME: 8am 3:30pm

WHERE: Oakland Unified School District:

WHY: This workshop covers AAC implementation strategies for children with ASD, such as: Readiness to Learn, Shared Focus and Motor Planning.

COST: Free

BRING: Vantage Lite, Vantage, Vanguard or laptop computer with the PRC emulator software, if possible.

Register here