ASA National Conference in St. Charles IL

2009 ASA National Conference

July 22-25, 2009
Pheasant Run Resort St. Charles, Illinois

Highlights
This year we have two special opportunities open to all conference attendees:

ASA’s first annual Science Symposium will be held on Thursday, July 23. It promises to be a critical gathering of researchers in cross-functional disciplines working to solve the many important questions in autism and present the latest in applied research.

For the third year, we are presenting a Continuing Medical Education track. On Saturday, July 25, this day long workshop, Autism as a Complex Crisis: What are its contributors and how do they hang together?, will focus on Treatment Guided Research. *Conference attendees seeking CME credits must register and pay for those credits.

One Wednesday, July 22, there are seven Preconference Workshops including:

o Self-Advocacy and Leadership Skills for Individuals on the Spectrum
o What Interventions and Supports Does My Child with Autism Need and How Can I Determine if They Are Effective?
o When Your Child with Autism Becomes and Adult with Autism
o Autism and Theater

A special respite care theater workshop for kids with autism, which concludes with a performance open to all conference attendees.

Family Movie Night sponsored by AMC Theatres on Thursday, July 23.

For more information go to: www.society-autism.org/

Autism Heroes

Autism Heroes: Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge by Barbara Firestone, PhD gives accounts of 38 families coming from different lifestyles that experience autism spectrum disorder in their daily lives. In the book Dr. Firestone talks to the families about their lives. Here,the families offer their experiences openly and honestly, sharing their challenges, triumphs, and hopes for the future. The stories the families tell show the many stages of dealing with autism and trying to find solutions for their children, and they offer a lifeline of insight, encouragement and hope.

Interested in checking it out? Call us at 800-437-7924. Not an Indiana resident? No worries! Find the copy nearest you with worldcat.org!

Camp R.O.C.K.S!

Camp R.O.C.K.S Respecting Other's Capabilities is the Key to Success, sponsored by the Autism Society of Indiana and Easter Seals Crossroads, is a 5-night/6-day outdoor camp for children ages 10-17 with autism spectrum disorder. At camp children will be able to enjoy outdoor camping and a variety of activities, including swimming, nature hikes, arts and crafts,music and much more.

The camp will be run be certified professionals, trained to work with children who have autism spectrum.

The camp will be held June 28,2009-July 3,2009 in Nobelsville, Indiana. Arrival/Registration begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday and ends at 10 a.m. on Friday

Interested in checking it out? Contact Beth at 317-466-1000x2501
or
visit Camp R.O.C.K.S website at www.incamprocks.org

The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Austism Cookbook

The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet by Pamela Compart, MD and Dana Laake, RDH, MS, LD is not just an average cookbook. The first half of the book explains what it is and how this diet works. It provides scientific reasons why gluten and other associated foods may be harmful for you. The second half of the book has easy to make recipes for busy parents and also includes a section for picky eaters. However, it's not just for kid's, this informative cookbook provides delicious healthy recipes that's great for the whole family to enjoy.

Interested in checking it out? Call us at 800-437-7924. Not an Indiana resident? No worries! Find the copy nearest you with worldcat.org!

Lose the Training Wheels Camp

Lose the Training Wheels Camp
6/1/09 – 6/5/09, Evansville, IN

Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, Evansville IN is hosting their 6th annual, “Lose the Training Wheels Camp” on June 1 - 5, 2009.
For more information,
Visit: http://www.losethetrainingwheels.org/



Or contact:

Linda Dillon, OTR,
Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center
3701 Bellemeade Avenue
Evansville, IN 47714
ldillon@evansvillerehab.com
(812) 479-1411
(812) 437-2636 (fax)

Unstrange Minds

Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism by Roy Richard Grinker is about a father's quest for answers about why autism is so much more common today than ever before. He travels all over the world and to the National Institutes of Health and made controversial discoveries that changed his understanding of the disorder as well as his relationship with his daughter. He believes that autism is not an epidemic but rather a reflection of improved awareness. A thoughtful and compelling story of a father's experience of raising a daughter with autism.

Interested in this book and live in Indiana?

If not, check WorldCat and see if your local library has it.

Beyond the Autism Diagnosis

Beyond the Autism Diagnosis: a Professional's Guide to Helping Families by Marion O'Brien and Julie A. Daggett is an excellent book for helping professionals better understand the concerns of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Through better understanding these concerns they can further help others. Throughout the different sections of the book you can learn ASD vocabulary, emotions, what people do and do not know about autism, communication between professionals and parents and assessment issues. The book also covers ways that professionals can help families deal with the short and long-term concerns of having children with ASD and much more.

Beyond the Autism Diagnosis is great for people who have been in the professional field for years or for those just starting out in their careers.

Indiana residents may check out this book at CeDIR. Others might want to use WorldCat to find it in a library nearby.

Ten Things Your Student With Autism Wishes You Knew

Ten Things Your Student With Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm is an excellent resource for teachers and professionals who may need help knowing what a student with autism needs. Notbohm gives the reader several examples of what a student may need or expect a teacher to know about them.

Notbohm also includes a few ideas that a teacher might try to use within their classroom to improve the learning experience of students with autism.

Indiana residents may check out this book at CeDIR. Others might want to use to find it in a library nearby.

Learners on the Autism Spectrum

Learners on the Autism Spectrum: Preparing Highly Qualified Teachers is a unique collection of chapters written by some of the leading experts in the field. Contributors include Tony Attwood, Gary Mesibov, Brenda Smith Myles, and Cathy Pratt. The book features an overview of ASD and brain-behavior connections, symbolic communication, positive behavior supports, supports for the educator, transition issues, a chapter on a parent's perspective, and even one on a personal perspective!

Are you an Indiana resident interested in checking it out? If not, try Worldcat.org.

CeDIR Citings

The March edition of CeDIR Citings is now available through the IIDC website. Through this newsletter, you can find information on disability awareness fairs in March, CeDIR's new autism blog, how to check us out of FACEBOOK and see what's new on our Delicious account.

CeDIR has dedicated this month's newsletter to education laws. Not only can you read a summary of one of the education books available at CeDIR but you can also check out some helpful resources such as books and websites.

Interested in previous editions? Click here.

Visual Thesaurus

The Visual Thesaurus, developed in 1998 by Thinkmap Inc is an excellent way to help children who have difficulties with reading comprehension. In fact, a study that took place with eighth grade students with learning disabilities discovered a significant improvement in reading comprehension.

With this thesaurus you can find over 145,00 English words and 115,00 meanings, see how each word is used differently in parts of speech, find example sentences that express the meaning of the word, discover 39,00 proper nouns such as Mozart, checks your spelling for errors, you can hear the word if you're wondering about pronunciation and much more.

The Visual Thesaurus has different benefits for several age groups, from elementary school children, through college level, and even has wonderful benefits for people who are learning English as a second language. In the online edition, you can use the thesaurus in several different languages, including French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, or German.

Interested in checking it out? Contact us!

Let's Go

Music therapist Elizabeth Balzano and her bouncy friend, Balloo, help children reduce their anxiety about issues while also helping with issues about transitional periods in their lives. Balzano uses music to teach children how to explore their emotions while singing, dancing and having fun. Let's Go! is a DVD, is about practicing visiting places like the doctor's office, birthday parties, the playground, and more.

Indiana residents may check out this fun, interactive video through CeDIR. Others might want to use worldcat.org to find it in a library nearby.

Accessible workstation!

Thanks in part to a grant funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine-Greater Midwest Region, CeDIR has a new accessible workstation! Our workstation starts with a motorized table that can be raised or lowered to accommodate both standing and sitting positions. We also have two different pointer devices: a large trackball for people who have difficulty with fine motor skills and a traditional mouse. Both mice are plugged in and ready at all times for anyone to use them.

Our accessible workstation has all the right tools with software such as Jaws, ZoomText, Kurzweil 3000, and Boardmaker Plus! to help ensure that everyone can use it. Jaws is a screen reader which allows access to information for people with low or no vision as well as anyone who has difficulty reading. ZoomText is an advanced screen magnification program that enlarges and enhances everything on the computer screen, up to 36 times! Kurzweil 3000 helps users with a variety of learning disabilities access information by manipulating electronic texts into an individualized accessible format. Boardmaker Plus! allows users to create personalized symbol-based print and interactive materials. This is particularly important for patrons using alternative communication devices, children with Autism as well as pre-reader and beginning readers.

Want to check it out? Stop by and see us, Monday through Friday 8:00-5:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you!

"This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal Funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. N01-LM-6-3503 with the University of Illinois at Chicago."

Indiana Autism Expo - 3/21/09

The Indiana Autism Expo is a new annual event for families, professionals and other great people involved in the Autism community. It is a fun and educational expo that the whole family can attend absolutely free of charge. There will be a variety of great exhibits, special products for sale, doorprizes, wonderful speakers and an area just for the kids. Presentations and exhibits will focus on people of all ages with autism and enhancing the lives of these wonderful people and their families. This is the second year for the expo. Indiana Resource Center for Autism (IRCA) will be in attendance again this year. Please stop by to meet Marci Wheeler, MSW and Pam Anderson, Outreach Specialist and pick up valuable information.


The Indiana Autism Expo will take place on 3/21/09 at The Fountains Banquet Center, 502 East Carmel Drive, Carmel, Indiana. Hours will be 10 AM until 2 PM for the general public. Please mark your calendars and join us for a great day! This event is presented by the Autism Society of Indiana in partnership with Easter Seals Crossroads.



Visit http://www.indianaautismexpo.com/ for more information.

Routines!

Music therapist Elizabeth Balzano and her bouncy friend, Balloo, teach children important lessons about emotions while singing, dancing and having fun. Routines! is a DVD, which includes a bonus audio CD with seven songs, is about trying to make sense of the world through predictable daily routines. The children demonstrate routines such as cleaning up, staying safe, and going to bed.

Indiana residents may check out this fun, interactive video through CeDIR. Others might want to use worldcat.org to find it in a library nearby.

The Boy Who Loved Windows

The Boy Who Loved Windows: Opening the Heart and Mind of a Child Threatened with Autism by Patricia Stacey gives hope and encouragement to parents with a child threatened with autism. The book begins with her son's prognosis and shares her experiences through a five year journey toward understanding Autism. This story is a personal narrative of a mother doing everything she can to try and give her son a rich and emotionally full life while struggling to keep her family in tact.

Interest in this book and live in Indiana? Contact us!

If not, check to see if your local library owns this book.

Love, Sex & Long-Term Relationships

Love, Sex & Long-Term Relationships: What People with Asperger Syndrome Really Really Want by Sarah Henderickx is a great source of information for couples where one of both people have aspergers. Within the pages of this book you can find information about Love, Intimacy, Statistics on Sex, Gender Identity and Sexuality, tips for great sex and much more! Not only do you receive information about love and sex but there are several small excerpts from people with aspergers and those in relationships with them.

Love, Sex and Long-Term Relationships is great for couples, counselors and professionals just trying to get an understanding of how life can rally be for those with aspergers.

Interested? Indiana resident? Contact us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this item at your local library!

Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks.is an organization that is dedicated to trying to help those who have autism spectrum disorder. Autism Speaks funds several global biomedical research in the causes, prevention and treatments for autism. The organization tries to raise public awareness about the effects that autism has on people, including family members and the world around us.

Within the site people can see what is going on in the autism community and within the Autism Speaks world. There are links about what autism is, how to cope, links for donations, Autism Speaks events, family services and sources, conferences and much more.

Autism Speaks is dedicated to uniting not only the autism community but also to getting the government to take action in helping people with autism.

Social Relationships

Building Social Relationships: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Social Difficulties by Scott Bellini addresses the need for social programming for children and adolescents with ASD by providing a comprehensive five-step model. The model incorporates the following five steps: assess social functioning, distinguish between skill acquisition and performance deficits, select intervention strategies, implement intervention, and evaluate and monitor progress.

Interested? Indiana resident? Contact us!

Not an Indiana resident? Find this item at your local library!

“A Land We Can Share: Access to The Literate Community For All”

Presented by Dr. Paula Kluth

Dr. Kluth is the author of "You’re Going to Love This Kid": Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom; the lead editor of Access to Academics: Critical Approaches to Inclusive Curriculum, Instruction, and Policy, and the co-author of four upcoming texts; A Land We Can Share: The Literate Lives of Students with Autism; Joyful Learning: Active and Collaborative Structures for the Inclusive Classroom; You’re Welcome: 30 Innovative Ideas for Inclusive Schools, and Just Give Him the Whale: 20 Ways to Support & Honor the Interests of Students with Autism.

Date: 4/21/2009

Location: Noblesville Intermediate School, 1900 Hague Road, Noblesville, IN 46062

To register: contact Kelly Doyle at keadoyle@indiana.edu or by phone at (812) 855-6508.

Visit www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/ for details.

Can't wait until April? Check out the following titles from CeDIR!

Diagnosis Asperger's

Diagnosis Asperger's: Nick Dubin's Journey of Self-Discovery is an inspirational look at one man's experience with being diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome as an adult. Nick Dubin was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrom in 2004 at the age of 27, and this is his story. Along the way, viewers will be introduced to his support network of family and educators, as well as learning about Asperger Syndrome. This video is a great resource for teens and adults with Asperger Syndrome, familes and educators. It is also particulary helpful as a classroom resource for college and university students in the field of education. Interested in checking it out? Indiana residents can contact us at (800) 437-7924. Not an Indiana resident? No Problem! Find this video at a library near you!

The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership

The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership known as GRASP is a site dedicated to providing assistance to people with autism spectrum disorders. Within GRASP's site, people can find information about education, support groups, advocacy, and much more.

GRASP also includes links to various websites including sites run by people with autism, chat rooms and message boards, education and service organizations, college assistance programs, science and medication information, and support groups.
The site also includes additional resources such as advocacy and support on a state-by-state basis and informati0n about housing and employment.
In the Interview and Articles section people can read about people's lives with autism spectrum. Here the articles vary from people whose family members have autism, to children, adults who discovered late in life that they had autism and much more. Even those who don't have a firm grasp on what autism is can learn about it. There are articles about the myths of autism and even gives some history about it. Whether you have autism, know someone who does or are just interested in learning, GRASP is a great site to check out.

Interested in GRASP? Click here to get to the GRASP website.