As I posted in March (http://autismsocietyofnc.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/think-spring-think-surfing/), Surfers Healing will be coming to Wrightsville Beach later this month (Aug. 19). I know that the sign up is quite intense—some families log on at 12:01 a.m. to try to reserve a spot! Good luck to those who succeeded; keep tabs on the Surfers Healing website for videos. …
Report on use of antidepressants and autism
According to an article in The Boston Globe, antidepressants may not be helpful for treating the symptoms of autism. However, parents and individuals on the spectrum have reported that they might still help with accompanying depression. As usual, study results need to be taken in context: this is based on a compilation of only 7…
School Resource Officers and your child: preventing problems
Did you know that School Resource Officers (SROs) may know nothing whatsoever about your child with autism or even about autism? Did you also know that your child with autism could be arrested at school and charged with assault? Being proactive and connecting with the SRO at your child’s school could be vitally important for…
Another request for input from policymakers
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Administration on Developmental Disabilities would like input from the public on how they can best meet the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. ADD is planning future Projects of National Significance (PNS). PNS will create opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to contribute to,…
Sensory seeking or avoidant? New study to examine characteristics
THE SENSORY EXPERIENCES PROJECT (SEP) is funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (#42168) to examine the development, functional impact, and cause of various sensory features in children with autism, developmental delay, and/or typical development, ages 2-12 years. The goals of the project are to determine the sensory changes a child…
Nominate Your Outstanding Child or Student for the Yes I Can! Award
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…