Autism-related Events

Monthly Support Meetings
4th Tuesday of each month - Coco’s at PV Mall

Don’t miss our monthly meeting Tuesday, May 25, 2010 - 6:30-8:30pm

Speaker: Scott Larson, marriage and family therapist that specializes in counseling couples with special needs children or other challenging circumstances in their family. Come learn strategies to strengthen your marriage and gain insight into emotionally focused therapy for families.

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

http://www.phxautism.org/meetings.html

May 22nd, 10am - Shrek 4
June 26th, 10am - Toy Story 3
July 10th, 10am - The Capable Me
August 7th, 10am - Cats and Dogs 2

AMC Entertainment (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism and other disabilities a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment on a monthly basis with the “Sensory Friendly Films” program.

Arizona Locations:

AMC Mesa Grand 24
1645 S. Stapley Dr., Mesa, Ariz. 85204

AMC Deer Valley 30
3033 W. Agua Fria Fwy., Phoenix, Ariz. 85027

Foothills 15
7401 La Cholla Blvd. Ste. 144, Tucson, AZ 85741

Autism Breakfast Fundraiser for Autism Research, Treatment, and Support
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
7:30-9:00 a.m. · Phoenix Convention Center

Goal:To inform the community about exciting research, treatment and support for children and adults with Autism, Asperger’s, and related disorders, and to raise money to support the activities of the groups collaborating on this event.

RSVP: By e-mail (preferred) by Wednesday, May 5th

By Phone: (480) 831-2047

To download a brochure go to:

http://www.autism-conferences.com/files/ASA_Breakfast2010NEW.pdf

Please consider registering as a Table Captain, and invite family, friends,
and co-workers to join you at your personal table(s). Your name will be added to the guest list, no tickets will be mailed. Donations will be accepted at the event or may can be mailed in as well if friends are not able to attend.

Location: Phoenix Convention Center
100 N. 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004 West Building

Free Parking: West Garage, 185 N. 2nd St.
Enter the underground parking of the West Building of the Phoenix
Convention Center off of Second Street, just south of Monroe Street.

The next Phoenix Bal-a-vis-x Class is coming up fast. April 10 & 11! And at this special rate ($165) for 2 full days of training and lunches- the class is almost full!

This class is open to parents - teachers - therapists - SPED and caregivers.

Please call Kris at 602-616-1438 to register and for more information.

The COMPLETE Bal-a-vis-x is coming June 1st 2nd and 3rd as well. You must have attended at LEAST ONE level 1 & 2 BAVX class to attend the COMPLETE class in June.

Group discounts are available for school districts - parent groups or therapy offices.

Bal-A-Vis-X ( BAVX ) was originally developed for regular and special education students
in a K-12 school setting, where it was consistently found / find these BAVX benefits:-
1. Learning disabled students —– COGNITIVE INTEGRATION IMPROVES
2. Behaviorally disordered students—–“BEHAVIOR “ SETTLES “
3. ADD/ADHD —–IMPULSIVITY DECREASES AND ABILITY TO FOCUS INCREASES
4. Gifted students —–PHYSICAL COORDINATION IMPROVES AND STRESS HEADACHES DIMINISH
5. Regular education students —–ACADEMIC SUCCESS REQUIRES LESS EFFORT
6. Students with inadequate auditory skills who “ hear “ but don’t attend to the precise details of
A. Pronunciation: they can / do not distinguish among initial consonant sounds or
Digraphs, between one word’s ending and the next word’s beginning, among vowels sounds—
B. Verbal instructions: they grasp random pieces, seemingly by chance—
C. Discussion : they rarely follow the flow and often interrupt to make unrelated comments or ask superfluous questions—

For students whose visual acuity may be 20/20 yet whose vision is deficient in
A. Ocular motility ( tracking ) –eyes that float, stick, skip, stutter, or dart FLOW
B. Binocularity ( teaming )—eyes that squint, blink excessively, or produce extreme
Head/neck postures for near vision tasks WORK TOGETHER
C. Visual form perception ( discrimination of details ) –eyes that are careless about,
Forgetful of, or inattentive to differences and similarities NOTICE

For all students — gains in eye-hand coordination and subsequent growth in confidence, hence,
in earned self-esteem, are readily observable

Bal-A-Vis-X has been shown to help kids (and adults) with conditions as diverse as :
 dyslexia
 dysgraphia
 Asperger’s syndrome
 autism
 cerebral palsy
 traumatic brain injury
 fragile X syndrome
 bipolar disorder
 obsessive-compulsive disorder
 severe hearing impairment
 severe sight impairment
 speech impairment ( such as stuttering )
 aphasia ( following a stroke )
 dyspraxia

www.bal-a-vis-x.com

ABIL & The Cutty Legacy Foundation

Life Planning Workshop
by Margaret “Midge” White, M.Ed., CCD
The Cutty Legacy Foundation Administrator

Keith Lyman, Attorney at Law
Frazer, Ryan, Goldberg & Arnold

How to Provide for Your Family Member with a Disability: Overview of Wills and Trusts
Date: Tuesday, March 16th
Time: 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
Location: 5025 East Washington at ABIL
Classroom B, Second Floor
Disability Empowerment Center
Phoenix, AZ

To Sign up Please Call or e-mail at: David Carey 602-443-0723 or Margaret “Midge” White, mmwhite@tch-az.com or mmwhite@inficad.com 480-730-4108, 480-844-7520. Workshop and “Life Planning” booklets are free but please call ahead so we have enough materials.

St. Dominic Savio Academy (SDSA) is offering a Free ABA training that we hope to continue each month. Pass this on to anyone you know who would be interested!

When: Sat. March 20, 2010 at 12:30pm
(Two 1-hour sessions with a lunch break in between)
Where: SDSA campus at 1230 E. Guadalupe in Tempe
Requirements: Be ready to learn and participate. No previous education/training required.
Cost: FREE

Please RSVP by Wed., March 17, 2010

The training includes 2 Sessions (each 1 hour) with a lunch break in between. Stay for one or both! Please invite any family or friends who are interested in learning this great technique or who may work with your child in the future!

ABA has proved to be the most successful technique in teaching children with developmental delays such as Autism. Each session includes information on research-based procedures and hands-on practice. Professionals who have worked in various types of learning environments teach the training.

Hab will also be provided for those bringing children. Please notify SDSA how many children you are bringing when you RSVP.

Session I: Intro to ABA
In this session, you will learn what ABA is; why it is used; and how to use it. Hands-on practice will help anyone use these procedures in all types of settings. You can even motivate your spouse to do chores!

Session II: Correction Procedures
Go deeper into ABA and learn how to approach the learning environment so students never fail! This session is perfect for discrete trials and natural settings. (This session’s topic will change each month)

Corinna Siegler-Ndolo
Director, St. Dominic Savio Academy
(c) 602-821-9345

Sponsored by:
_Scottsdale Sunrise Rotary Club
_Phoenix El Puente Rotary
_Scottsdale Unified School District Learning Classes
_Raising Special Kids

Saturday, March 27, 2010
10am – 2 pm
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Scottsdale

Register on the day of the event.
Questions? Contact Dan McAuliffe 480-315-5216 or Al Chaves (En Espanol) 480-221-7259

Directions:
McCormick - Stillman Railroad Park is located at the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Indian Bend Road, 1.7 miles west of the 101 Loop, exit Indian Bend.
Our address is 7301 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85250

Direciones:
McCormick - Stillman Railroad Park esta localizado en la esquina sur este de Scottsdale Road y Indian Bend Road, 1.7 milas al oeste de la autopista 101 Loop, salida Indian Bend Rd.
La Direcion es 7301 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85250

Monthly Support Meetings
4th Tuesday of each month - Coco’s at PV Mall

February 23rd, 2010 - 6:30-8:30pm

Speaker: Ashley Mayer will be speaking on her internship at the Thoughtful House in Texas and Holly Reycraft will speak on social skills groups.

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

February 6th, 10am - The Tooth Fairy
March 20th, 10am - Diary of a Wimpy Kid
April 20th, 10am - How to Train Your Dragon

AMC Entertainment (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism and other disabilities a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment on a monthly basis with the “Sensory Friendly Films” program. Details at:

http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sensoryfilms

February 20, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Check-in from 8-8:30 a.m.)
Scottsdale Bible Church
7601 E Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale, AZ 85260

This workshop features Steve Kosser, John Dacey, & Holly Reycraft who will speak on:

1. Learn how successful therapies for DDD children in Arizona can be available at no cost to parents (regardless of family income) to help reduce or eliminate symptoms and challenging behaviors.

2. Learn how to navigate the ALTCS health care maze, including what to do if you are facing the appeals process for a denial, reduction or termination.

3. Hear the laws, policies, and procdeures of Special Education and learn basic advocacy techniques to address the most common problems that occur at each stage of the Special Education process.

* This is a rare opportunity to hear from an EPSDT expert, lawyer, and educational advocate all on the same day!

* Join with other parents in learning how to effectively advocate for their children in the schools, at home, and with medical services.
Early Bird Registration ends on February 10, so register today!REGISTER NOW!

Early Bird Registration: Registered and paid by February 10th, 2010
Only $30 for Members; $50 for non-members
Regular Registration after February 10th: $50 for members; $75 for non-members

Visit www.phxautism.org for more information or to REGISTER