The Council for Exceptional Children is accepting nominations for its annual Yes I Can! Award; all nominations must be postmarked by Oct. 22, 2010. There are nine categories (academics, arts, athletics, community service, employment, extracurricular activities, independent living skills, self-advocacy and technology). Winners will receive a trip to National Harbor, Md., near Washington, D.C. ,…
Finding Children Who Wander
A new coalition of six national autism nonprofit organizations has been created to prevent wandering incidents and deaths within the autism community. The collaboration, Autism Wandering Awareness Alerts Response Education (AWAARE), has launched AWAARE.org in a joint effort to raise awareness and provide information to caregivers, law enforcement, school officials and the medical community. Coalition…
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Services Subcommittee will be having two meetings, as well as a public workshop, in the coming weeks and months. The first meeting will be a conference call held on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 from 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET. For more information see: http://iacc.hhs.gov/events. The purpose of…
Through the Eyes of the Child
To truly understand a child on the spectrum, we must take the child’s perspective–by Kathy Dolbee “A child’s grief is little, but then, so is the child.” Percy Bysshe Shelley The above statement might seem obvious, but it makes clear that both perception and perspective play an important role in how a person views a…
Autism and the Criminal Justice System
This article was in the Western Region newsletter, produced by Parent Advocate Kathy Dolbee… In 2008, the General Assembly provided funding to the TEACCH Autism Program (TEACCH) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School to develop this “video to raise awareness of autism for those involved in government and public service, including…
ASA: Amazing Sessions!
Two weeks ago, the Autism Society of America held its annual conference in Dallas, TX, and I was fortunate enough to be there—my first ASA conference! What an amazing experience, with many different sessions occurring simultaneously. I have to say that it was quite a thrill to be standing in line next to Carol Gray,…
Speak Up for Fair Housing
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has commissioned a study on whether or not discrimination exists in the housing industry. Doesn’t that just sound like a government study?? Do you think there might be some discrimination against “protected classes”?!? Let’s have a study to ask that question! Oh, wait, maybe we could just…
Are you prepared for an emergency?
As you probably know, hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean has already begun (it is June 1 – Nov. 30). There are many other types of disasters and emergencies, however. Rather than creating your own emergency plan, consider the many resources that are already available. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services has…
Social Security Benefits Webinar
If your child has Social Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you know that income from employment must be managed carefully to avoid losing benefits or having them reduced. Here’s an opportunity to learn more about this: a national WISE Webinar. Among the topics discussed will be the Ticket to Work, a…