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BIA Newsletter
Fall 2011 | Vol. XVI |
Our Mission
To
provide treatment and remediation to young children diagnosed with
Autism Spectrum Disorders; to provide training to those who would offer
such treatment; to provide trained personnel for the families of
children with Autism Spectrum Disorders; and to offer these services to
low-income or economically disadvantaged families.
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BIA RELIES ON YOUR DONATIONS!
Your donations are used to help subsidize our after-school program, Clubhouse, whose costs are not fully covered by the Regional Center or tuition; to help offset the 4.25% rate cuts we have received due to the state budget crisis; and to help purchase specialized educational materials that we can loan to families during their time in our program. PLEASE consider making a donation TODAY! BIA is a non-profit, 501(c)(3). |
 Employee Spotlight: Bay Area!
ANGELIKA SCHILLI
As well as managing several cases here in the Bay Area, Angelika is the fearless leader of our East Bay and San Francisco afterschool Clubhouse programs! Whether it's creating & managing The Clubhouse blog, devising exciting and meaningful activities for session or pulling supplies from her personal home library for her clients' use, Angelika's devotion, creativity and seemingly endless supply of energy cannot be denied! BIA counts itself as lucky to have her amongst its ranks. Thanks for all you do, Angelika!
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 Employee Spotlight: Fresno!
CHAD GRIGSBY
Chad Grigsby has been employed as a tutor for BIA since Oct 2008. Chad's ability to connect with the child he's working with is truly remarkable. He clearly cares about their progress as evidenced by him continuously going above and beyond. Chad is also a champion for BIA in that he (and his family) participates in all extra activities and fundraisers. He is a valued member of the Fresno team! Thank you, Chad!
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Greetings!
From everyone here at BIA, we wish you and your loved ones Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
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BIA Bay Area Staff at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley
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Please keep in mind that if you have a Facebook account, "Like" BIA on Facebook. We keep our Facebook updated with interesting links and recent happenings at BIA.
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'Tis The Season!: A Holiday Gift-Giving Guide
By Deanne Detmers, Executive Director
The holidays are just around the corner! Each year we receive requests from parents, grandparents as well as BIA donors as to what items would be the biggest hits with children diagnosed with Autism. As many of you know, for children diagnosed with ASD, 'work is play and play can be work'. That is to say, that for the most part children with ASD are more productive (i.e., engage in more appropriate play) with toys that have a distinct purpose and a very clear beginning and end as opposed to those toys which are more open-ended in nature (e.g., pretend kitchen items).
We have polled our staff to share their top list of new and upcoming items that are hits with their clients. Additionally, we have listed some tried and true toys that have stood the test of time! We also threw in a couple of our favorite books. We hope you find these lists helpful for your shopping!
Toys:
Books:
The season of giving is upon us, and many of you should have received a letter from us asking for your contribution to our Annual Fund. BIA is a non-profit and although we have funding through various agencies, the funding does not cover all of BIA's expenses. Additionally, we have been affected by the state budget cuts and have received a 4.25% rate cut. This roughly translates to $2,500 in cuts PER CHILD per year. We will use your donation to: provide more training to our staff; financial support for our after-school programs; re-stock our toy lending library which has declined over the past 10 years; purchase an iPad to allow students to try the technology to see if it's a good fit. Please consider making BIA one of the top 3 charities that you donate to this year.
Have a safe and healthy holiday season! |
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A.J.: Fun & Friendships at SF Clubhouse!
by Angelika Schilli, Clubhouse Manager
 A.J. joined our Clubhouse program in April 2011. At first, the thought of entering a room full of strangers was almost too much to bear. Clubhouse seemed to be a scary, unknown place. However, A.J.'s Clubhouse friends quickly won him over and made him comfortable.
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A.J. painting with his Clubhouse friends
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Their enthusiasm was infectious and A.J. started to like music, games, and art; especially when it involved painting. While these activities are his all-time favorites, A.J. also enjoys experimenting with bubbles, making volcanoes, as well as going through obstacle courses and on treasure hunts with his Clubhouse buddies. To sum it up, A.J. is having FUN!!!
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A.J. & Eloise share a moment at the Clubhouse
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We are also thrilled that A.J.'s neuro-typical sister, Eloise, decided to be part of our program. Her fun-loving nature, great sense of humor, and patience make her very popular. We often hear: "I want to do [the activity] with Eloise!" or "Eloise, can you sit next to me?" Thank you, Eloise, for helping us play and communicate.
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James: Communication Champ!
Check out the short article that appeared in the Madera Tribune that shows one of our Fresno students, James, using his iPad within his school district. Awesome progress, James!
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Laurence: GCSE Superstar!
 One of our former UK students, Laurence, recently took his GCSE exams (UK school exams for 16-year olds) and he got amazing results: As in History, Music, Math and Bs in Science, English, Statistics, Religious Studies.
Laurence plays guitar and teaches a little too. He plans on getting a diploma in music.
Brilliant job, Laurence! We are so proud of you!
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Connor: Jet-Ski Expert!
Here's one of our former students, Connor, at Donner Lake this past summer participating in some jet-skiing put on by Disabled Sports USA! Go Speed Racer! |
Following Ezra Presentation
 Save the date! A great event is coming up at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay (JCHS) this Sunday, Dec 11th at 1:30pm (1835 Ellis St in SF). Don't have childcare? No worries! Our after-school program, The Clubhouse, will be providing drop-off childcare between 1:00-3:30pm for special needs children & their siblings. To RSVP: contact the Jewish Community Library at 415-567-3327, ext. 703 or ajgreen@bjesf.org. |
Autism Insurance Reform
On September 30th, BIA attended the Autism Insurance Rally held at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, CA. We were able to hear stories/testimonies from parents and advocates, as well as hear from Senator Darrell Steinberg, author of Senate Bill (SB) 946. Here's a video in case you'd like to listen to the stories shared:
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Steinberg, Corbett, Leno - Bay Area SB946 Autism Rally
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The support given to this bill paid off in early October when Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 946, mandating health insurance companies to pay for ABA therapy. Forward moment has been made and we'll be sure to keep a close eye on future developments in this area.
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ANNUAL FUND DONORS*
TEAM MATES ($1000 AND ABOVE)
Andrew de Vries
Antonio & Juliet Campos Dyer Family Foundation East Bay Community Fund - Lam Research Foundation Fund
Joan Zimmerman, Jordan & Jason Sills Foundation
Lynne Royer & Bruce Saldinger
Richard & Aida Demirjian CLIMBERS ($500-$999) Marlene & Larry Fingerut EXPLORERS ($250-$499)
Aaron & Stephanie Ross
Cathy Kobel
Darrell Corti
Herb & Geri Thomas
Suzanne Royer
FIRST STEPS ($100-$249)
Alison Fingerut Chris McAllister Craig & Lynne Cafferata David Smith Fran Tannenbaum Kaye George & Nancy Manfredi
Jay & Carrie Mok
Joan Druckman & Bruce Cohn
Joel & Sylvia Saldinger Jon & Jill Winston Lynda McCarthy The Margolis Family Maria Isaac Philip Raskin
BUILDING BLOCKS ($15-$99)
Claudine Swickard Douglas & Cyndi Kaye
Helen Tannenbaum Lori Hagerty Lynn Thomas Tobye & Ronald Kaye *Donors after our newsletter release date will be acknowledged in the next issue. |
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IN GRATITUDE
SERVICES DONATIONS
EZ Scan
Jewish Community High School of the Bay
GOODS DONATIONS
Fran Tannenbaum Kaye & Brian Kaye
PROGRAM MATERIALS DONATIONS
Alison Fingerut
Evelina Wong
Melanie Yadegar
CLUBHOUSE VOLUNTEERS
Dilara Silver
Hannah Lee
Jennifer Su
Ilana Freeman
Myung Cho
Rebecca Dollinger
Sophie Marinoff
Valentina Sanna
VILLAGE PRESCHOOL SUPPORTERS
Antonio & Juliet Campos
Dyer Family Foundation
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