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Transition Survey: We Need Your Input!
Hello, Parents:
Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) through the Office for Genetics and Children with Special Health Care Needs (OGCSHCN) and in partnership with The Parents' Place of Maryland, is conducting a survey to find out about your youth and the services they may need as they move toward adulthood.
Parents and caregivers of youth (aged 12 to 21 years) with special needs are being asked to respond to this survey. We want to know about services for youth with special needs in your community and about key issues that affect their ability to transition to adult life.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey if you are a Maryland parent or caregiver of a youth with special needs, aged 12 to 21 years. Please send the survey to other parents or caregivers with youth with special needs. Thank you so much.
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DORS/SRC 2012 Public Forums
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Schools Should Do More to Include Parents in IEP Process
Parents and students with disabilities aren't as involved in the process of mapping out their goals with schools as much as they should be, although federal law intends for parents and school staff to work together on these plans, a new study finds. This blog in Education Week discusses the results and what should be done.
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Summer Camps and Programs
Whether your child receives Extended School Year services or not, you might want to find other activities for your child during the summer. Many opportunities exist for children with disabilities to spend their summer months. There are camps devoted to specific disabilities, camps that are open to all children regardless of whether they have a disability or not, classes at community colleges, and online learning opportunities. Consider what you want your child to get out of their summer activities: education, social, sports, or arts. Consider whether you want a camp that lasts all summer, just a few weeks or a few days. Below is a list of resources to help you locate summer activities for your child. Don't be afraid to contact a summer program that doesn't advertise that it is for children with disabilities. More camps are including children with disabilities than ever before. When you call, be honest about your child's disability, needs and strenghts. Ask what experience the staff has with children with disabilities. Don't forget to ask parents you know from school or support groups what their children do during the summer months.
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
Tips for Choosing a Summer Camp
Family Networks Camp Guide
County and City Recreation Department Contact Information
Maryland Learning Links
MD Community Colleges Contact Information
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World Down Syndrome Day
March 21, 2012 marks the 7th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day and for the first time in 2012 this day will be officially observed by the United Nations. Each year the voice of people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them, grows louder. But there is still so much more we can do.
Down Syndrome International encourages our friends all over the World to choose your own themes, activities and events to help raise awareness of what Down syndrome is, what it means to have Down syndrome, and how people with Down syndrome play a vital role in our lives and communities.
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MD May Change Discipline Policies
Proposals expected to be considered in Maryland would seek to reduce school suspensions by revising the state's zero-tolerance discipline policies. The changes would include lowering the number of suspensions for nonviolent behavior, reducing the disproportionate number of suspensions ordered for minority students and students in special education, while requiring educational services be provided for those who are serving lengthy out-of-school suspensions. Read the full Baltimore Sun article.
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Family Voices Seeks New Executive Director
Family Voices, Inc. seeks an outstanding individual with strong leadership and management skills to become its next Executive Director. Family Voices invites applications from candidates who possess and can demonstrate the skills, characteristics, and experience described below. The application deadline is March 19, 2012.Read the complete job description.
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AMCHP Issue Brief ACA & Children with Autism
Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) has just released the issue brief, "The Affordable Care Act and Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities," which explores the elements of the ACA that impact children and youth with ASD/DD. Children and youth with ASD/DD require an array of health services that are often inadequately covered under the current health system. The ACA is designed to boost coverage, improve benefits and provide new insurance protections for all Americans. The read this and other AMCHP issue briefs visit the website.
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Save These Dates!
March 14, 2012
Baltimore, MD
6:30 - 8:30pm
March 28, 2012
Towson, MD
10:00am - 2:00pm
April 13 - 15, 2012 Annapolis, MD
April 21, 2012 Transition Conference for Parents and Youth Salisbury, MD
Check the PPMD online calendar for time, location, and registration information for these and many other training opportunities. www.calendarwiz.com/ppmd
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Health Reform Fact Sheet for People with Disabilities
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services has released a fact sheet entitled "People with Disabilities and Serious Health Conditions: The Top 5 Things You Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act." The fact sheet is available in English and en Espanol.
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Training for College Students with Autism
The Autism Campus Inclusion Institute(ACI), which provides week-long trainings for college students with Autism, is seeking applicants for its session that will take place from August 12th through August 17th in Baltimore, MD. The training is meant to prepare students to engage in self-advocacy and pro-neurodiversity activism on their college campuses. ACI offers this institute at no cost to the students chosen for the program. Applications are due on March 30, 2012.
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Online Course for Families of Children with Autism
A new online course, "My Child was Just Identified with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: Now What Do I Do?" is being offered by the Autism Center for Excellence at Virginia Commonwealth University. This self-directed course is divided into learning modules, with one or more videos of an expert in ASD providing helpful information on a specific topic.
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National Council on Disability Recommendations on Managed Care
NCD has issued new recommendations for CMS managed care and people with disabilities.
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Did You Know?
There are more than 244,000 children with special health care needs (CSHCN) ages 0-21 in Maryland. That's enough children with special needs to fill Baltimore's Ravens Stadium 3 1/2 times!
34.7% of Maryland families of CSHCN report their health insurance is inadequate.
22.2% of Maryland families of CSHCN report they have to cut back or stop working because of their child's condition.
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