Autism-related Events

MONTHLY SUPPORT GROUP MEETING

Our monthly support meeting for January…
Tuesday, January 24, at 7pm

Coco’s restaurant at Paradise Valley Mall

Legal Primer Part I:

Special Needs Trust and Guardianship

Here is the format to our meetings:

6-7pm - Come and meet with the Parent Mentors and Kim Yamamoto, an educational advocate. This is for parents with a newly diagnosed child, with questions about school, DDD/ALTCS, insurance, etc. We would love to help you out.

7-8:30pm - Our regular meeting begins, announcements, and guest speaker(s).

ASA-GP Support Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at Coco’s at Paradise Valley Mall.

Come and check it out - we are free and fun & light snacks provided.

Mark Your Calendar:

Next Meeting- February 28th

Legal Primer Part II:

Criminal Defense for Teens and Young Adults on the Spectrum and How to Keep Them Out of Trouble With the Law

Click here for a list of meetings and speakers for the year. We hope you will join us for an informative year!

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Autism Society of Greater Phoenix Presents:

Tour of:

Gompers Vocational Habilitation Center

Monday, January 9th — 9am for approximately 2-2.5 hours

RSVP by January 6th to cynthia.marksmom@cox.net

Start at the main location 6601 N. 27th Avenue and see the Day Training for Adults program and then shuttle with us to the Vocational Center 3.9 miles away at 5340 W. Bethany Home Road.

Gompers Habilitation Center’s mission is to empower and advocate for adults and children with disabilities in an environment of compassion, dignity and respect.

For more information about Gomper’s, click http://gomperscenter.org/.

Sensory Friendly Films

Saturday, January 7, 2012 -10 am
Admission: $5.25
Tin Tin

Upcoming Shows:

February 25 - The Secret World of Arrietty

March 10 - Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

April 7 - Pirates! Band of Misfits

Please note all dates and films are subject to change

AMC Entertainment (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment each month.

Because these are Sensory Friendly Films, the movie auditoriums will have their lights brought up and the sound turned down. Additionally, audience members are welcome to get up and dance, walk, shout or sing. For tickets to these events, please visit the theater the day of the show. We’ll see you at the show!

Sensory Friendly Film Valley Locations:

AMC Arizona Center24
565 North 3rd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 307-5371

AMC Deer Valley 30
3033 West Agua Fria Freeway
Phoenix, AZ 85027
(623) 434-0300

AMC Mesa Grand 24
1645 South Stapley Drive
Mesa, AZ 85204
(480) 503-1680

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 7pm
Coco’s Restaurant at Paradise Valley Mall

Next Week’s Topic:
- Healing Oils for Cold and Flu Season & Bring Your Favorite Recipe.
- Katie Wride will teach us how to use oils to stay healthy this flu season. Plus, bring a favorite recipe including GFCF and samples for everyone to try. This is a great way to get ideas for the holidays.

The format to our meetings:

6-7pm - Come and meet with the Parent Mentors and Kim Yamamoto, an educational advocate. (This is for parents with a newly diagnosed child, questions about school, DDD/ALTCS, insurance, etc.) We would love to help you out!

7-8:30pm - Our regular meeting begins, announcements, and guest speaker(s).

Mark Your Calendar:

Next Meeting- January 24, 2012

There is no meeting in December — join us for our Holiday Parties instead: December 3rd (adults) December 21 (families).

Click here for a list of meetings and speakers for the year! We hope you will join us for an informative year!

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ASA-GP Support Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at Coco’s at Paradise Valley Mall.

Come and check it out - we are free and fun!

Light snacks provided

Dear Autism Community,

A new large study investigated the risk of having a child with autism in a family that already has a child with autism. Older research (when autism incidence was lower) put the risk at 3-10%. The latest research, in a large study of 644 infants, published today in Pediatrics, puts the risk of having a 2nd child with autism at 18.7%. The risk is 3x higher for male siblings vs. female siblings.

Families who have a child with autism need to be aware of this much higher risk.

I will discuss this study and many others at our workshop at ASU on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011, and also discuss hypotheses on how to substantially reduce the risk. See www.autismconferencesofamerica.com for registration and more information.

One Day Only, Saturday, September 17, 2011, 9:00am-5:00pm

ASU, Lattie F. Coor Hall, Room 174
976 S. Forest Mall
Tempe, AZ 85287

Professional - $95
Parent - $75
2nd Parent/Family member - $50
Zoowalk Team Captains - $35 (Pledge of $100 or More)
People with Autism/Asperger’s -$25

Hope you will join me at this informative workshop!

All proceeds from this workshop will be donated to the Zoowalk for Autism Research.

Sincerely,

James Adams, Ph.D.
President, Autism Society of Greater Phoenix Director, ASU Autism/Asperger’s Research Program

Day 1 - Monday, March 7th, 2011
Introduction to ABA
(0.5 ASHA CE’s)
This training will cover the basic components of ABA, including the ABC’s of behavior, reinforcement and prompting strategies, and the importance of understanding typical child development for designing effective interventions.

Day 2 - Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
Intermediate ABA
(0.5 ASHA CE’s, 5 BACB CE’s)
This training will provide information on evidence-based interventions for working with individuals with
ASDs. Topics will include Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT), Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and Positive Behavior Support (PBS).

Day 3 - Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
Decreasing Problem Behaviors & Increasing Appropriate Social Skills
(0.5 ASHA CE’s, 5 BACB CE’s)
Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) are essential to identifying the reasons behind difficult behaviors and to the development of effective behavior support plans. This presentation will detail information regarding the use of interviews, observation techniques, and data collection procedures necessary for effective assessments. Practice exer-cises will also be conducted to assist participants in the development and implementation of behavior support strategies.

Presenter:
Abby Twyman, M.Ed. BCBA
SARRC Clinical Interventionist

When:
Monday - Wednesday, March 7 - 9, 2011

Time:
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. each day

Where:
SARRC
Campus for Exceptional Children
300 N. 18th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006

Cost:
Advance Registration: $50.00/training or $130.00 for all three trainings.
Day of training: $60.00/training or $160.00 for all three trainings.

Details at: http://www.autismcenter.org/event_details.aspx?id=351

ThinkAsperger’s: An Overview of Asperger’s Disorder, Early Warning Signs and Intervention

Presenter: Elena L. Pollard, MA

Research Coordinator, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center

Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011, 1-5pm
SARRC Main Campus for Exceptional Children
300 N. 18th Street, Phx, AZ 85006

Asperger’s Disorder (AD) is a lifelong disorder which symptoms can progressively worsen over time without early identification and proper treatment. Many individuals with AD have skills that make the disorder difficult to detect by current screening methods for autism. This hands-on training offers participants the opportunity to practice current intervention strategies for:

* Intervention strategies based on principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
* Social skills
* Conversation skills
* Classroom modifications
* Hidden Curriculum
* Social stories
* Emotion Regulation
* Teaching flexibility
* Vocational and Life skills training
* Gain valuable community resources for ongoing treatment and support

Climbing Above Challenges

WHEN: April 9th 2011, 7-10pm

WHERE: Phoenix Rock Gym - 1353 East University Drive, Tempe AZ. 85281

WHAT: Proceeds to benefit SEEDs For Autism, a vocational program for adults on the spectrum.

Cost: In advance $45.00 /Door $60.00

Pre-registration is advised to ensure your space!

Contact: Mary Ann LaRoche (602) 279-6702

Email: maryann.laroche@cox.net

Website: www.seedsforautism.org

Please join us for a night of fun at our first fundraising event hosted by The Phoenix Rock Gym! The Rock Gym is an amazing 3 story facility, with over 15,000 sq ft of climbing surfaces for climbers of all ages and experience levels. The Phoenix Rock Gym has generously donated their facility to host our Event! They will be keeping their staff of professional climbers on hand for the evening to teach and assist new climbers.

We will also have:

-Culinary stations featuring local, guest chefs

-Wine Tasting

-Silent auctions, with items donated by local merchants and fine art items donated by local artists.

-Raffle Items & Door Prizes

-The latest SEEDs products available or purchase!

-Live music ….and more!

SEEDs (Success through Education Exploration & Development) is a Phoenix based nonprofit, dedicated to assisting young adults on the autism spectrum learn vocational skills to make marketable products

“What Makes Us Human? Visual Thinking and Different Kinds of Minds”

- a lecture by

Temple Grandin Ph.D., Professor of Animal Science, Colorado State University

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

5:30p.m.(reception at 4:30)

Tickets are available for free online:

http://ihr.asu.edu/tickets/distinguishedlecture

Please visit - http://ihr.asu.edu/tickets/distinguishedlecture - to request your tickets. Seating will be limited, and you must have a ticket to enter the lecture hall.

Please plan on arriving early as all ticketed seats will be released at 5:15 pm on March 1st.

Due to the anticipated response there will be two viewing locations: the main auditorium at Galvin Playhouse and a mediated overflow room at the Katzin Concert Hall. Request your tickets early to ensure your seat (limit 4 tickets per individual). Your viewing location (Galvin Playhouse or Katzin Concert Hall) will be reflected on your ticket and will depend upon the order of your request relative to others. All tickets will be first-come-first-serve general admission and bulk requests for tickets will not be available.

Tickets will be delivered by campus or US mail after February 14th.

Should you be unable to attend the lecture and you have already requested a ticket, please notify the IHR (so we may make those tickets available for others.

Our monthly support meeting for January will be held on Tuesday, February 22nd at 7pm at Coco’s restaurant at Paradise Valley Mall.

Don’t forget the new format to our meetings:
6-7pm - Come and meet with the Parent Mentors and Kim Yamamoto, an educational advocate (This is for parents with a newly diagnosed child, questions about school, DDD/ALTCS, insurance, etc.) We would love to help you out!

7-8:30pm - Our regular meeting begins with guest speaker and questions with Parent Mentors after.

This month our guest speaker will be Dr. Daniel Openden, Ph.D., BCBA-D Vice President/Clinical Services Director of SARRC. He will be speaking about PRT and the options parents have available using this technique in their home

We invite everyone to come out and learn about PRT and how this technique can help your child.

Jane from Eco-life is also back in town with supplements to purchase/order, so be sure to come and sign up for this great discounted supplement resource!

ASA-GPC & ROK Support Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at Coco’s at Paradise Valley Mall.