All of us at Oak Hill are very excited to announce the first phase of our partnership with the UCSF Autism Clinic, currently using the working title of PAP, the Premier Autism Program. Dr. Robert Hendren, the former Director of the M.I.N.D Institute at UC Davis, and now the Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UCSF, including the UCSF Autism Clinic, will lead the Oak Hill study with his team of two associate MDs and a research assistant. The goal of this collaboration is to help Oak Hill families coordinate educational, medical and psychosocial interventions for their individual child or adolescent. UCSF will learn more about the value of such an integrated approach and about the outcomes associated with coordinated assessment and treatment for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Ultimately, we intend to build an outcome database to help determine what the necessary elements for a wrap-around plan are for all of our kids. Oak Hill School and our families will gain access to the most recent information about autism intervention. Although individual participation is limited to those families of students with autism diagnoses who choose to become involved in the research, we believe all Oak Hill families will benefit from Dr. Hendren's cutting edge research in bio-medical interventions, such as anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories and much more. Dr. Hendren and research assistant Olivia Park will be at Oak Hill for an Informational Meeting on April 16th, the Tuesday after our return from Spring Break, at 6 PM. All interested family representatives are encouraged to attend. 

Raising a child with special needs has more than its share of challenges. More often than not, parents can experience feelings of isolation and burn-out due to the day to day stresses that require all their energy and resources. The Oak Hill Parent Support Group is a forum where parents can connect, share resources, and create a viable and lively community, offering support and understanding while fostering a sense of hope and resiliency.

In our ongoing effort to support our students by supporting their families, Oak Hill is initiating its first Parent Support Group under the guidance of Liz McDonough. Liz is an MFT and drama therapist who specializes in working with tweens, teens and young adults on the autism spectrum, and their families. She provided individual, family, and group therapy at Oak Hill School from 2006-2010 and has continued the connection with Oak Hill in a clinical supervisory and consulting role. Liz is an adjunct professor at The California Institute of Integral Studies and teaches in the autism certificate program at Alliant University. 

Oak Hill will have a booth at EdRev 2013 at AT&T Park in San Francisco next Saturday. Organized by Parents Helping Parents, EdRev is an information and resource fair dedicated to understanding each child's individuality in learning. Students, teachers, and administrators attend free. To quote the flier, "this unique event offers concrete tools, an introduction to the radical new science of the individual and a strong dose of inspiration for students who learn differently, their parents and the educators and other professionals who support them."

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