Keep Autism at the Forefront of the Health-Care Debate

Historic Health-Care Reform is Needed for ASD Patients But We Need Your Help! The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has begun its mark-up on health- reform legislation.  Offices on the Hill are being flooded with calls and emails opposing health-care reform.  This historic reform, however, is crucial to families affected by autism. The draft of the Affordable Health Choices Act currently in the HELP Committee in the Senate addresses many of the issues that impact people with autism, including: prohibiting discrimination based on health status or disability; requiring guaranteed issue of insurance policies; prohibiting pre-existing condition exclusions; prohibiting lifetime and annual caps on coverage; and inclusion of community-based long-term services and supports. The passage of health-care reform that addresses all of these issues would profoundly help many families affected by autism. The Autism Society is deeply excited about the current draft of the Affordable Health Choices Act and applauds its commitment to aiding people with disabilities. Please contact your two (2) U.S. Senators as soon as possible to them know your views on the importance of health-care reform efforts. Click here to find the phone numbers of your Senators and to read an example of points you may want to make when calling your Senators. We thank you for your enthusiastic advocacy on behalf of people affected by autism.  Sincerely, The Autism Society

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The Autism Society Announces 2009 Autism Champions; Rock the Boat for Autism Takes Off From Florida

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IN THIS ISSUE ASA News >> Advocacy >> Research >> Education >> Conferences >> Resources >> PROUD SPONSOR   PROUD SPONSOR              Update email preferences | Forward to a friend NEWS The Autism Society Announces 2009 Autism Champions The Autism Society is excited to announce four people and organizations who have made a huge difference in the autism community—the 2009 Autism Champions! Autism Champion awards are given by the Autism Society to organizations or persons who have made significant contributions to improving the lives of all affected by autism. The champions will be honored with a special reception at the Autism Society’s National Conference, July 22-25, in St. Charles, Ill. This year’s awardees are champions who have helped improve the lives of people with autism through their work in movies, advocacy, vintage cars and music. Read more … The Autism Society is Now on Twitter! Can’t wait for the next issue of ASA-Net to get the latest news from the Autism Society? Follow us on Twitter - @AutismSociety: http://twitter.com/AutismSociety for general news and @Vote4Autism: http://twitter.com/Vote4Autism for advocacy news. Rock the Boat for Autism Takes Off From Florida People across the country are using 1Power4Autism to help make a difference in the autism community. The Rock the Boat for Autism team took off from Florida last week, and are rowing up the Atlantic coast to New Jersey to help raise support. Read more … ADVOCACY Obama Administration Proposes Medicaid/Medicare Cuts In his weekly address, President Obama proposed an additional $313 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid over the next 10 years to help offset the cost of health-care reform. Read more … Congress Tackles Health-Care Reform Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), on behalf of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a draft version of the Affordable Health Choices Act, comprehensive legislation to overhaul the nation's health-care system. Read more … ABLE Act Briefing Re-Scheduled A new time and place have been set for the legislative briefing on the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) of 2009 (H.R. 1205/S. 493): July 21 at 12-1:30 p.m. in Room B-340 of the Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C. Read more … Connecticut Governor Signs Autism Insurance Bill Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell has signed a bill requiring health insurance companies to cover the cost of autism treatment and diagnosis. Read more … IDEA Fairness Restoration Act Introduced Congressmen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Pete Sessions (R-TX) have introduced the IDEA Fairness Restoration Act (H.R. 2740). Read more … RESEARCH New Study Examines Problem-Solving Skills in People with Autism People with autism can be up to 40 percent faster at problem solving than people who do not have autism, researchers at the University of Montreal and Harvard University have found. Read more … Research Shows Wide Age Gap Between Possible and Actual Autism Diagnosis A new study on the timing of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identification recently found that diagnoses are often not being made as early as possible. Read more … Autism Costs the U.K. More Than £27 Billion a Year A new report from the London School of Economics recently found that care and support of individuals with autism costs the U.K. over £27 billion (or about $44 billion) each year. The largest portion of this figure—£25 billion, or about $41 billion—goes to adult care. Read more … EDUCATION New College Transition Program for Students on the Autism Spectrum Gateway Academy, a K- to 12th-grade private day school in Scottsdale, Ariz., recently opened the first residential college transition program, the Spectrum College Transition Program, solely for students with Asperger's Syndrome, high-functioning autism and PDD-NOS. Read more … CONFERENCES The Autism Society National Conference—5 Weeks and Counting! This year's conference will be held in St. Charles, Ill., at the Pheasant Run Resort, July 22-25. The full conference program with breakout sessions and presenter information is now online at www.autism-society.org/conference.  For 2009 we are offering CEUs for BCBA and ASHA as well as educators. We are also hosting a full-day CME track on Saturday, July 25. This year we are holding our first annual Science Symposium. Titled “Science That Makes a Difference,” this special session will focus on the Autism Society’s Treatment Guided Research Initiative and will include a partnership of scientists, physicians and caregivers to dialogue about science needs and priorities. It will be held on Thursday, July 23, and is open to all conference participants. Order your conference recordings now! We are currently taking orders for the full recordings of the 2009 conference—including all breakout sessions. Go to www.autism-society.org/conference and click on 2009 Recordings. If you’d like to exhibit or know someone who might, the Autism Society has six booths remaining for sale for the upcoming Expo. Contact Meg at Ellacott@autism-society.org or visit www.autism-society.org/conference for an updated floor plan and application. You can access all information about the conference and registration at our Web site: www.autism-society.org/conference.   If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at conference@autism-society.org. American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Environmental Health Workshop The American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) will present a workshop on early life exposure to household gas appliances and indoor nitrogen dioxide, and associations with cognition and attention behavior in preschoolers on Tuesday July 14, at 2-3 p.m. Eastern time. This is a free teleconference, with Jordi Sunyer, M.D., presenting. Read more … Workshop with Michelle Garcia Winner The Autism Society of Collin County, in cooperation with Whole Foods, the Rubin Family Foundation, North Garland Vision and The Arc of Dallas, is excited to sponsor a social skills seminar featuring Michelle Garcia Winner. “Thinking about You, Thinking about Me,” will take place September 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Garland Special Events Center, 4999 Naaman Forest Blvd, Garland, Texas 75040. Read more … RESOURCES New Book on Video Self-Modeling The new book Seeing is Believing (Woodbine House) describes video self-modeling (VSM), a technique that anyone with basic video equipment can use to help children and adults with autism and other developmental delays improve skills and behavior. Read more … Sometimes Things Just Become Too Much to Take Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a neurological condition that occurs when the brain perceives sensations from touch, sight, hearing, smell, taste, joints and muscles, and movement differently. Whether the child over- or under-reacts to these sensations, the results affect daily routine activities, making it difficult to cope and function. In Jennifer Veenendall's latest book, Why Does Izzy Cover Her Ears? Dealing with Sensory Overload, we meet Izzy, a feisty first-grader, who experiences sensory overload on a daily basis. Read more … Using Art to Help Kids with Autism Find Their Voice Packed with tips and suggestions for how to provide art therapy for children with autism, Art as an Early Intervention Tool for Children with Autism by Nicole Martin covers topics such as the basic materials required, safety issues, how to set up a workspace and ideas for managing difficult behavior. Read more … Autism and Computers Valerie Herskowitz, M.A., CCC-SLP, one of the world’s foremost speech pathology experts and speakers on the subject of computer-based intervention with special-needs individuals, has released Autism and Computers: Maximizing Independence Through Technology, a comprehensive guide on how technology can provide a key element in successful and independent living with developmental disabilities, as well as a powerful way to teach many skills to individuals with autism. Read more … New Book on Autism and Nutrition Nourishing Hope for Autism: Nutrition Intervention for Healing Our Children by Julie Matthews is a new book that explains why and how special diets can help children with autism. Read more … Children’s Book Series About Mental Health Disorders Iris the Dragon was created for adults and young readers to help facilitate a conversation among parents, teachers and children about issues relating to mental health and wellness. The Iris the Dragon books address a variety of emotional, behavioral and neurodevelopmental conditions, and recognize the importance of family, school and community in promoting the potential of every child and youth, regardless of mental health challenges. Read more … Update email preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Forward to a friend  |  Visit our web site Autism Society of America 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 301.657.0881 or 1.800.3AUTISM

Life with Autism Stories: A Horse Named Betsy

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here to try the web version.   Autism Society  |  FORWARD THIS EMAIL  |  DONATE Life With Autism is a new series of inspirational and informative stories about those who are touched by autism. The new nonfiction book, “The Horse Boy” by Rupert Isaacson and published by Little, Brown, shares the inspiring story of how Isaacson and his wife learned to think of their son’s autism as a beginning rather than an end. It is a book that empowers families living with autism to dare to dream of a better quality of life and to search for and choose compre-hensive treatments for their children that uncover their potential. One family's autism journey... and a horse named Betsy When his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson was devastated. No matter which doctors they saw or therapies they tried, Rowan could not connect with the people around him. He did not respond when spoken to, even when asked simple questions. One day, a chance event began an amazing journey. Rowan ran off from his father’s side across a field, and into the middle of a herd of horses. Fearing that Rowan would be trampled as he lay on the ground near the hooves of a dominant mare named Betsy, Rupert rushed after him — and then stopped in his tracks. Far from attacking the boy, Betsy was lowering her head before Rowan in submission. Awed, Rupert asked Rowan, “Do you want to get up?” “Up,” Rowan answered. Rupert began giving Rowan horseback rides with Betsy. Seated on Betsy, Rowan almost immediately became more verbal and articulate, and his involuntary movements subsided. And as he rode, his father wondered if there were more mysteries to be uncovered about Rowan’s capabilities. Using that first moment with Betsy as a springboard, Rupert began a journey to find healing for Rowan — that culminated in a family trip across the Central Asian country of Mongolia to visit with local shamans, or spiritual leaders. “My book isn’t really saying that horses cure autism,” Rupert says. “It’s saying we found a way. You don’t have to go to Mongolia. It’s just that our particular story was that.” On their journey, Rupert and his wife learned that opening their minds to the potential of different treatments paid off. Rowan made unbelievable progress. And when they returned to Texas, they established The Horse Boy Foundation, which runs a small learning and equestrian center called The New Trails Center in Elgin, Texas, just outside of Austin. Rupert says, “I feel immensely honored to be working with the Autism Society. Ever since my son was diagnosed, our local Autism Society chapter has been there for us, offering advice, support, news, and advocating for all of us autism parents at both the state and at the national level. I hope that together we’re bringing awareness and empowerment to families struggling, as we all are, with autism.” Learn more about the book at http://www.horseboymovie.com/. To find horse therapy/hippotherapy programs in the United States, visit the Autism Society’s referral database at http://www.autismsource.org/ The Autism Society is the nation's leading grassroots autism organization and exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. Visit our website to learn more about our many innovative programs and services. Learn More  |  Forward to a Friend  |  Donate Now     © 2009 AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA |  Privacy Policy  |  About Us  |  Contact Us  |  Unsubscribe

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The NAMI HelpLine Needs Your Support

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