AbilityFirst Camp Paivika is for special needs children (11+) and adults. Located in Crestline (San Bernardino Mtns.), CA, the fully accessible camp features all the traditional camp fare including horseback riding and swimming, in a safe and nurturing environment. Our video explains how Camp Paivika has benefited special needs families, including providing the opportunity for respite: http://www.abilityfirst.org/programs/programs_camppaivika_video.asp

Our website: www.abilityfirst.org/camppaivika,  also details schedules and fees, as well as weekend getaways and our Mom’s Weekend, a retreat for special needs moms.

Autism Reoriented Community Housing (ARCHway) is an community housing initiative by the Foundation for Autism Support and Training, a national non-profit offering advice and consultation on person-centered housing solutions for adults with autism. Members of ARCHways Consortium have 20-30 years experience and include pioneers of person-centered housing and assistive technology for people with autism and other related disabilities. ARCHway’s Executive Director, Karen Kaye-Beall offers Q&A.

1. What is meant by the term a “person-centered” approach to developing housing for people with autism?
As most people know, autism is a spectrum disorder. People with autism can be low, mid or even high functioning persons. In person centered planning, it is critically important to have a very thorough understanding of the many signs and symptoms each individual with autism experiences. The main signs and symptoms of autism involve problems (to greater or lesser degrees of severity) in the following areas:
--Communication - both verbal (spoken) and non-verbal (unspoken, such as pointing, eye contact, and smiling)
--Social - such as sharing emotions, understanding how others think and feel, and holding a conversation. They have difficulty reading facial expressions or picking up social cues.
--Stereotyped behaviors - Routines or repetitive behaviors such as repeating words or actions, obsessively following routines or schedules, and playing in repetitive ways. Also unable to play or keep themselves occupied in a normal or typical fashion. Many experience sensory integrative dysfunction.  read more »

ALL ABOUT ME

A wonderful new service is now available to those with Autism and Alzheimer’s.  All About Me is an online communication assistant, created by a single mom with an Autistic son.  Their tag motto is “Don’t just wait for tomorrow’s cure, give them a voice today!  Parents or Guardians can create an online secured access information bio for their loved one that will enable others to understand, interact and care for them as best as possible.  It is also an ideal tool for those who service individuals diagnosed.  This information will assist teachers, caretakers, retirement facilities, hospitals and police officers in bridging gaps in communication with individuals who are unable to communicate due to a neurological diagnosis.  All About Me is an approved parental resource by Autism Speaks.  Their website portal is loaded with helpful information on Autism, Studies, Literature, Programs, Services, Events, Gluten Free Recipes, links and more..  read more »

There is a severe housing shortage for adults with autism.

The Foundation for Autism Support & Training has a new initiative called ARCHway. Our website is www.myarchway.org and our social networking site is www.myarchway.ning.com

On our website we have 60+ pages of content on developing a full menu of community housing options, finding/training staff,  assistive technology for greater independence and much much more.  This is a first of its kind site since it goes into a great deal of detail on this topic.

We just developed a public service announcement that is going out to 1200+ TV stations nationally.  It stars film and TV star Annie Potts.

Annie Potts is the Public Spokesperson for ARCHway. In this video, Annie tells us that there is a severe housing shortage for adults with autism and suggests that ARCHway can offer real solutions. She invites you to join with us to Turn a Perfect Storm…into a More Perfect World for adults with autism who need community housing options and supports.

See our public service announcement on You Tube at the URL below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtdo6Zh4ok4

TUCSON, AZ (November 18, 2009)—The first-ever Grubb & Ellis Emergent Entrepreneur Award was presented to Tucson-based PlayAbility Toys (a company specializing in the design of toys for autism and other special needs) at IdeaFunding 2009, an annual one-day workshop devoted to showcasing promising new companies and their products sponsored by IdeaXchange.  The new award was established to recognize innovative products and services that represent clear market opportunity, show evidence of clear business perspective and stand to contribute significantly to the economic and social landscape of Arizona.In presenting the tribute, which comes with a $5,000 cash prize, Grubb & Ellis senior vice president Bob Davis said, “PlayAbility Toys has a solid business model with intelligent, compassionate people behind it.” He added, “These toys make a real difference for our community, especially for special needs families, and Grubb & Ellis is proud to support its endeavors”.  read more »

Hello,

My name is Pierrette d’Entremont. I have a daughter with Tourette Syndrome, sensory issues and OCD. My background is in jewelry design and kinesiology. My daughter has been mouthing things her whole life and this seemed to escalate. With a newborn in tow, a parent-worn chewy for distracted infant-toddlers seemed a good idea too!

At work and with my growing child, I realized that other parents were also looking for alternatives to “loud” fidgets or types of chewable jewelry that can be too childish, lengthy, pvc, metal, enameled or have unknown dyes in cording.

 - aside: As a child care article manufacturer, you can contact me for information about ASTM toy safety standards and the new CPSIA regulations that deal with 3rd party testing. We deal with plastics and textiles every day and it's not always straight forward. If I can't answer, I can point you in the right direction. 

The most common comment was that growing children with special needs (ASD, ADD/ADHD, SID, Tourette’s etc) are often finding traditional fidget and chewable products too childish. As parents, we want to help our children cope with daily challenges, these include belonging to a peer group. A flashy "loud" toy can end up hiding in locker or making a youth feel alone. Commercial fidget toys also seem to lend themselves to getting lost or to dropping to the ground for germ pick-up!  read more »

My name is Jon Singer and I just joined the group. My daughter Rebecca is 13 and has a rare genetic disorder that causes autistic tendencies.

I have posted excerpts from my soon to be published Special Needs Parent Handbook on and would appreciate any feedback.

100% of the proceeds from the sales of this book will support Advocacy for All, a new initiative to help families receive free guidance from special education advocates and attorneys.

Thanks for your input.

Jon

P.S. The complete first edition is available for free download with a $10 donation.

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Drive For Rebecca, Inc. 201 567 3699

2 Valley Pl., PO Box 225

Tenafly, NJ 07670

http://www.DriveForRebecca.org

Building better lives for individuals with autism (TM)

Get free excerpts from The Special Needs Parent Handbook

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Insurance Coverage for Behavioral Services for Children with Autism

By AmyShymansky on October 24th, 2009

Many state and federal initiatives are in place to end insurance discrimination for families with children with autism. The following link shares current information on your states current and pending legislation as well as prospective federal legislations.

http://www.autismvotes.org/site/c.frKNI3PCImE/b.3909861/k.B9DF/State_Initiatives.htm

Even if your state has laws in place to mandate insurance coverage for children with autism the process of getting services covered can be involved.

Below are some suggestions for simplifying the process:

1) Find a primary care physician who is supportive and understands the benefits of behavioral interventions for your child.

2) Contact your insurance company to find providers in your area, develop an understanding of the provider approval process.

3) Be persistent! Many insurance companies are just beginning to identify providers for these services.  Find people within your insurance company who can answer your questions related to obtaining coverage. If necessary, identify billing codes to share with your insurance company related to your requested behavioral services to assist in quickly communicating your families needs.

Check out this link as an additional resource to assist in the process of obtaining insurance coverage for your child:  read more »

A Marietta College student and Warren High School graduate is attempting to cover new ground in autism research, exploring an area of the disorder mostly ignored until now.

Heather Haught, 20, of Tunnel, a junior at the college, is entering the second phase of a research project aimed to form a better picture of what foods those with autism spectrum disorders prefer and how a diet can be made to cater to their needs and address eating problems associated with autism.

Often, children with autism are underweight, while many adults with autism are overweight or obese.

"I want to try to determine how we can get these people into a healthy weight range and have it be based in science," Haught said.

Haught had little background on autism when she learned a bit about it in a developmental psychology course at the college. She took that interest to assistant psychology professor Alicia Doerflinger, who had a background in the research of development of feeding behaviors, and the study was born.

The two found they would be virtual pioneers in their experiment, titled "The Effect of Food Preferences, Food Intake and Taster Status on Body Weight in Children with Autism."

"When we started to look at the literature, there was obviously not a lot of work done in that area," said Doerflinger. "Even though it's pretty well known that parents of children with autism have feeding issues on a daily basis, there didn't seem to be investigation into that in any depth. It was a little niche we could move into."

The lack of previous studies may be due to the difficulty of working with young children who are autistic or simply because with all the functionality issues related to the disorder, it may not have been a high priority, she said.  read more »