Posts Tagged ‘autism’

Things like this make me SO angry! I received this message today (Thursday May 20, 2010) from an acquaintance, concerning an autistic boy:

A mom I know has a 9 year old son with Autism. He had a melt down today at school and threw a chair. School staff called the police. They are not charging him with anything but they have taken him, for a week to 10 days, to our juvenile detention home. They have denied the mother permission to talk to her son, or see him, and they refuse to release him to the center where he was at before that is for mental illness and issues like these. They have told her that she has a short period of time (something like 3 hours) to get them his meds or they won’t accept them or give them to him. I can’t imagine that this is even legal but I do not know the specific juvenile laws regarding this in Kansas.

Peggy, do you have, or know of, any resources that could help her that knows this area of expertise? She wants the child moved to the facility where he can get help, and she wants to be able to visit to calm him. Please let me know if you know of anyone who can help.

Thank You!

I’ve added a new link under Autism over there —->

This is a great Facebook group. The leader, Jen Donatella, who has 3 autistic sons, started this group, and is very active in the autism community here in NE Ohio. If you’re a member of FB, check it out! 

Today is World Autism Awareness Day!
Remember, if you do not know anyone who has Autism, you soon will!

A few facts:

• Autism is not a disease. It is a neurobiological (brain) disorder.
• Autism now affects 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys.
• Autism prevalence figures are growing.
• More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined.
• Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
• Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, a figure expected to significantly increase in the next decade.
• Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood disorders!
• Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism.
• There is no medical detection, or cure, for autism.

April is Autism Awareness Month. Join us in this campaign to bring awareness to the near-epidemic that is autism.

My 10 yr old son and I were standing out on the balcony on the top floor of our house last night, looking out over the city of Youngstown, Ohio.

There were literally THOUSANDS of blue lights! The Home Savings tower, City Hall, churches, porch lights on homes, etc etc.

I said, “that’s for you, son. All for you, and millions of others with Autism, Aspergers, etc.”

We were both awestruck. It was a beautiful sight!

Tomorrow, April 2, 2010, is WORLD Autism Awareness Day.

Our porch lightbulbs are changed to blue bulbs, and many of our neighbors have joined us in this as well, in honor of Autism Speaks’ WAAD Light It Up Blue! campaign.
We are wearing blue both today and tomorrow, and attending a couple of local events here in Youngstown.

I am so proud, even in awe at times, of my son. He is smart, intelligent, bright, funny, does great in school, is a total computer geek, and is the love of my life.

He has Asperger Syndrome (a disorder on the Autism spectrum). I celebrate his uniqueness.

I celebrate my son!

Here are just a few links for World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD). You’ll find events, materials that you can use around the internet, ideas to help you celebrate WAAD, and more.

World Autism Awareness Day
Light It Up Blue!
Autism Speaks

World Autism Awareness Day is a very important day for the “world” of Autism.

On December 18, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 62/139, tabled by the State of Qatar, which declares April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in perpetuity. Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, Consort of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, supported the campaign for a World Autism Awareness Day through the current 62nd UN General Assembly Session, garnering consensus support from all United Nations Member States.

This UN resolution is one of only three official disease-specific United Nations Days and will bring the world’s attention to autism, a pervasive disorder that affects tens of millions. The World Autism Awareness Day resolution encourages all Member States to take measures to raise awareness about autism throughout society and to encourage early diagnosis and early intervention. It further expresses deep concern at the prevalence and high rate of autism in children in all regions of the world and the consequent developmental challenges.

World Autism Awareness Day shines a bright light on autism as a growing global health crisis. WAAD activities help to increase and develop world knowledge of the autism epidemic and impart information regarding the importance of early diagnosis and early intervention. Additionally, WAAD celebrates the unique talents and skills of persons with autism and is a day when individuals with autism are warmly welcomed and embraced in community events around the globe.

By bringing together autism organizations all around the world, we will give a voice to the millions of individuals worldwide who are undiagnosed, misunderstood and looking for help. Please join us in our effort to inspire compassion, inclusion and hope.

copied from www.worldautismawarenessday.org with permission.

This year, on the night of April 1, the Empire State Building and the Willis Center in Chicago will light their buildings in blue to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day. I’m sure that there will be many more businesses and corporations to join them.

I’m making it more personal. I’m changing our outside lights to blue bulbs, and asking everyone on our street to do the same.

And now, I’m asking you to make it personal. Please join me. Change your porch lights, torch lights, etc, to blue bulbs, and let us commemorate WAAD together.

I can only imagine how these kids, and adults, will feel when they see these lights burning blue, and know it is for them !!!

We took our tour of the Rich Center for Autism, and found it to be a delightful, well-equipped place, withwell-trained staff, and wonderful services that JJ would no doubt more than benefit from. But he did not like it at all.

I liked it fine, but you know when you just know that something is not right for you, or in this case, for your child. Well, that’s how I feel about this. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this school, but I don’t feel like it’s the right “fit” for us.

So we talked to JJ’s case manager, and she’s going to see if she can round up all of the services that are provided at the Rich Center. He’ll have to get them after school most of the time, but that’s ok because he’ll be able to stay at his current school, Summit Academy, which he really likes. He gets OT there, as well as Therapautic Martial Arts which he also really likes.

Whew, I’m glad that’s settled. 

I spoke with my son’s case worker yesterday, and she wants to set up an appointment with me and his dad to meet with the administrators of a place called the Rich Center for Autism.  I’d heard of it before but thought that is was something that we couldn’t afford, not knowing that their services are free of charge to parents of children within the autism Spectrum – which includes Asperger Syndrome.

The caseworker feels that JJ would greatly benefit by attending school there, and also taking part in their therapeutic services, counseling, etc.  They also have support groups for parents, and many other family services.

I looked up the Rich Center on the internet last night, and I have to admit, I am impressed. More than impressed, actually.  I didn’t know that it is connected to Youngstown State University (YSU), nor did I know that it provides classes/services/degrees for educators to learn about the autism spectrum, and learn how to teach children on the spectrum.  Further, I guess I had assumned that once you send your child to an autism center, that they would be labeled and have to attend a school “like that” for the rest of their lives. That’ll teach me to ‘assume’.  The Rich Center actually teaches children to reach their full potential so that they can be ‘mainstreamed’ into public school – hopefully by high school age.

Additionally, the children go to school year ’round.  They do this because these kids do tend to regress during long summer vacations. I know my son seems to be regressing already. 

If you’re so inclined, check it out. You may know someone with a child on the spectrum who could use this kind of help.  The Rich Center for Autism.  There are many other centers like this, possibly one in your area.

I’m truly looking forward to taking a tour through this center.  God seems to be opening the doors for us.