Monday, June 19, 2006

Interview with Joey Travolta

WrongPlanet has an interview with Joey Travolta (brother of John), who produced the film "Normal People Scare Me" a documentary about how people with autism see the rest of the world. He also started an organization called Actors for Autism.

Teaching Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

This 2oo+ page book is available online. It was published in 2003 by Alberta Learning in Canada. Read a description here, and view the publication here. The intended audience is educators, but it also looks useful for parents.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Autism Conference

Penn State is hosting the 2006 National Autism Conference hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, July 31 - August 4. Attendance is free for parents living in Pennsylvania and $50 for out of state parents. The list of speakers is here.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

My Other Life

My friend Liz and I started up a new blog about books called "Librarian's Most Wanted". It has absolutely nothing to do with ASDs! If you are interested, you can find it at:

http://lmostwanted.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Scholarly Article

I have been very disappointed with science.gov - most of the articles I find are definitely NOT free. In fact, the prices are outrageous! Here is a free one, though. It's so rare that I thought I should post it! It's about genetic mutations in people with ASDs. This sentence caught my eye,
"Non-segregation within the pedigrees between the mutations and the ASD phenotype clearly suggest that the mutations alone are not responsible for the condition."
Read the abstract here.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Autism on television

1. Autism Supernanny Re-show
ABC announced that there will be a re-showing of the Supernanny featuring Dr. Lynn Koegel helping a family with a child with autism. The episode will air on ABC June 19th at 8:00 PM, EST.

2. On Tuesday, June 6th, 11:30 EST ABC's late night news program "Nightline" will present another installment in its series "Echoes of Autism." In the Tuesday night segment "My Brother's Keeper," Nightline correspondent John Donvan will examine the challenges faced by those often overlooked in the world of autism: siblings.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Organization for Autism Research

The website for the Organization for Autism Research is definietely worth checking out. They have a section devoted to families . I really like their page on research, which explains the types of research out there for all of us humanities majors whose knowledge of science is limited. I will definitely be delving deeper into this site for links to useful information.

Summer Is Upon Us

Special Education Law Blog has a link to this helpful post at Dr. Chris's Autism Journal on Extended School Year and summer programs.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Free Mini-Course

I found this via autismspectrum.net:

Newly Diagnosed Autism Spectrum:
How You Can Help Your Child.
A Free 7-Step Mini Course


It was created by a parent of a child on the spectrum. Here's her description:

"Newly Diagnosed" covers understanding the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, getting an evaluation, choosing interventions, finding resources for education, support and advocacy, and updates from Autismvoice.
No matter where you are on the journey, the resources and information contained in this course can be helpful for families of children with autism spectrum disorders.

I just registered and will comment on it in the future.

Subaru Center Event @ Discovery Museum

Children on the Spectrum along with their Parents, Siblings, Friends, Caregivers are invited to kick back and have some fun at the Garden State Discovery Musuem (www.discoverymuseum.com).
On July 19th from 6:00- 8:30 pm, The Subaru Center for Learning at the Garden State Discovery Musuem will be hosting
Open Arms: A Special Evening for Families with Children on the Autism Spectrum.
This FREE after-hours event will feature open play, discovery & a book signing. Come meet the editors of Voices from the Spectrum, Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, People with Autism and Professionals Share Their Wisdom, Drs. Cindy Ariel & Robert Naseef.

Please pre-register for this event by calling or e-mailing Jennifer Newman at (856) 424-1233, ext. 314 or onthego@discoverymuseum.com. Please include your name, contact info, and number of guests in emails.

2040 Springdale Road Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Workshops for Educators

You might want to pass these on to teachers at those IEP meetings!
July 17 and 18 -Two day seminar presented by Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center
Best Practices in Functional Assessment and Developing EffectiveTreatments for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Registration fee is $325 per person.
9 AM -2:30 PM at the Busch Student Center of Rutgers University.
For information, call 732-932-4500, ext.100 or 134.

July 26-Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center presents
Social Skills: Helping Learners on the Autism Bridge Build.
9 AM - 2:30 PM.
Busch Campus Center, RutgersUniversity.
Cost is $175.
For further information and to register, call 732-932-4500, ext. 100 or134.