Saturday, December 31, 2005

ASD Book Club

Bonnie at Bella Online is starting an ASD book discussion group. Cool! She will be picking one theme each month with three titles to choose from. Here are her first three picks:

1. Diagnosis Autism: Now What? 10 steps to Improve Treatment Outcomes A Parent-Physician Team Approach - Lawrence P. Kaplan, PhD, edited by Jay D. Burstein, MD.

2. 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders - Ellen Notbohm and Veronica Zysk.

3. Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew - Ellen Notbohm

Don't forget to check and see if your local public library owns these titles.

Upcoming, part Two

The information from PACT also included some workshops sponsored by COSAC (NJ Center for Outreach & Services for the Autism Community) for educators. You might want to pass these along to your local educators:

COSAC's Professional Workshops

COSAC announces its 2006 Calendar of Professional Workshops, a series of dynamic workshops designed for professionals in the autism community who are looking for practical strategies for working with students with autism. Through our workshops, professionals learn to address the complex needs of students with autism and develop effective educational/behavioral teaching techniques to maximize the students’ potential.

Fee: Each workshop is $100.To Register:

http://www.njcosac.org/cosacnandeSchedule

February 10, 2006 (9:00 am to 4:00 pm -- Holiday Inn, Monroe Township, NJ) Key Ingredients for Educating Children with Autism David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA

February 10, 2006 (9:00 am to 4:00 pm -- Holiday Inn, Monroe Township, NJ) Crisis Prevention and Management Cathy M. Maher, M.S. and Gina M. Burgess

March 3, 2006 (9:00 am to 4:00 pm -- Caldwell College)Educational Assessments for Students with Autism: Choosing Right Goals for Your Students Sharon A. Reeve, Ph.D., BCBA

March 24, 2006 (9:00 am to 4:00 pm -- Caldwell College)Inclusion for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders throughout the Lifespan Linda Meyer, Ed.D., MPA

Upcoming, Part 1

I receive regular e-mails from Jackie at FACES, a local support group for families of autistic children. They do wonderful things!

Jackie passed along a message from PACT - Parents of Autistic Children Together. I think they are affiliated with the Autism Society of America. I am still trying to learn about all of the different organizations related to autism - and I still have a long way to go! Anyhow, here is a listing of upcoming workshops and events for families:

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
January 19, 2006 Comprehensive ABA programming: Integrating Discrete Trial Instruction, Natural Environment Training, the Verbal Behavior Classification System, and Rate-Building for Fluency to Meet the Needs of Learners with Autism. Presented by Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Division of Research & Training. Presenters include Joelle Lugo, M. Ed, BCBA and Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA.For information call 732-932-4500 extension 100 or 134, or visit www.gsappweb.rutgers.edu/dddc.

January 24, 2006 The NY Islanders host the NJ Devils at Autism Awareness Night at Nassau Collesium. Tickets available for this exciting match-up. Be on hand with the NY/NJ Metropolitan area's leading autism awareness organizations. For tickets check http://www.njcosac.org/othercomev Portion of your ticket cost will benefit COSAC.

February 10, 2006 The New England Educational Institute Presents "Asperger's Disorder and Autism: An Update on Understanding and Interventions." A One-Day Seminar for Educators, SLPs, Psychologists, Social Workers, Physicians, OTs, Children's Service Providers and Familiy Members who Work with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Presented by Fred Volkman, M.D., at the Saddle Brook Holiday Inn, 8:00 AM - 4:30. For information and to register, visit www.neei.org or call Carolyn at 413-499-1489, ext. 1.

March 16-17, 2005 Autism Spectrum Disorders: Promoting Successful Outcomes Across the Life Cycles ConferenceUniversity of Pennsylvania. For more information, contact Deirdre Wright: 610-853-3747, or email her at dcwright@comcast.net.

April 30, 2005 Plan to participate in Trenton Thunder's Autism Awareness Day at the Mercer County Waterfront Park for a day of family fun, baseball and a chance to raise autism awareness. Game will feature the Thunder vs. New Britain Rock Cats (Minnesota Twin's AA Club). For information or to order $9 tickets, contact Jason Schubert at 609-394-3300, extension 125 or email him at jason@trentonthunder.com. Proceeds will benefit COSAC and all children with autism in attendance will receive a complimentary Kid Zone Pass and the chance to run the bases following the game. To download ticket order form, go to http://www.njcosac.org/othercomev

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Kid Learn to Cross Society's Bridges

Here is a nice article about incorporating social skills education in schools. What a great idea. (My only suggestion would be to incorporate visual cues for the kids with ASDs in the social groups.) I really like some of the practical tips listed, too, like "sitting on the crack" in the cafeteria and putting interesting things in the lunch box.

Friday, December 23, 2005

More info on clinical trial

Okay here's more complete information on the clinical trial regarding gastrointestinal probelms for children with autism.

Clinical Trial related to GI problems

"Autism Spectrum Treatment and Research Center opens clinical trial site in Seattle, WA to research an investigational medicine for gastrointestinal problems in autistic children. " Read press release here.

The press release says there are 12 sites in the country for this clinical trial. If I find out where the other sites are, I will post the information.

Bella Online

I am not really familiar with Bella Online, but am very excited to find an editor who writes regularly about Autism Spectrum disorders. She puts pretty good links in her articles to sites selling useful products, too. Check out this site.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Welcome

The goal of this blog is to share information resources related to Autism Spectrum Disorders. I am a librarian and parent of a child "on the spectrum". This blog will not be about my personal experiences or perspective. Rather, it will be a resource for concrete, practical information for parents, educators and caregivers working with children and adults with ASDs. I am not an expert. I will try as much as possible to post information from objective sources. Suggestions and submissions are welcome. Perhaps together we can all find the best information out there to help people with ASDs.