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April is Autism Awareness Month
Autism Awareness Month has been celebrated since the 1970's. Since that time, the number of children diagnosed with autism has grown greatly. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in six children have a developmental disability and one in 88 has autism.
In addition to the Centers for Disease Control, there are many local, state and national organizations where you can find information and resources on autism. Below are some of those organizations:
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Special Education Parent Involvement Survey
Parents or guardians of children receiving special education and related services will be mailed the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey from the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services during the first week in April. Parents are asked to complete the survey and return it in the postage paid envelope by May 17, 2013. The Survey may also be completed online. Please look for details in your survey packet. Click here to download a flyer. To learn more, please visit www.marylandlearninglinks.org.
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Affordable Care Act Stories
The Affordable Care Act is three years old. Through a series of videos at the White House Blog, you can learn about the changes and how they have impacted lives. Below is Abby, a young woman with pre-existing conditions, tells how the ACA helped her stay on her parents insurance through college. Other videos discuss consumer protections and how insurance companies are being held accountable.
 | | MyCare: Abby S. in Minneapolis, MN |
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Free Resources from American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is home for the latest information and resources on autism for health care professionals and families. The AAP is offering many new autism resources and is featuring them in April--Autism Awareness Month.
Sound Advice on Autism is a series of audio interviews with medical experts and parents of children with autism. Listen as Dr. James Perrin, president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, discusses the latest in autism research, diagnosis, and treatment.
Autism: Caring For Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Resource Toolkit For Clinicians is now available as a Digital Download or CD-ROM and includes tested screening tools, clinician fact sheets, and family handouts in both English and Spanish.
Autism Spectrum Disorders: What Every Parent Needs to Know is a new book helps parents understand how autism is defined and diagnosed and provides information on behavioral and developmental therapies.During this month only, you can preview chapters from the parent book!
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School Safety Town Hall Meeting
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and National PTA President Betsy Landers will hold a town hall meeting to discuss school safety.This is a unique opportunity for parents of Maryland school students.The town hall meeting will be held at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore County on April 10th from 6:00pm - 7:45pm. For additional information, please email jchevalier@pta.org To register click here.
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Register Today: Free Healthcare Transition Conferences
Join The Parents' Place of Maryland and DHMH's Office for Genetics and People with Special Health Care Needs for a full day, FREE conference for parents and youth! Teens with special needs between the ages of 13-18 are invited to attend with a parent. Providers are also invited to attend.
These conferences offer information, ready-to-use planning tools and resources for youth, families, and providers to make the health care transition process easier and less overwhelming. Light breakfast and lunch are included. Topics will include social security benefits, health insurance, guardianship, healthcare transition in the IEP, and self management skills for transitioning youth.
Two conferences are sheduled. All are 9:00am - 4:00pm.
APRIL 13, 2013 Southern Maryland Higher Education Center
The conferences are free, but you must pre-register. Visit the www.ppmd2.org for more information and to register.
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Top IEP Meeting Tips
- Review last year's IEP and any documents sent home to you 5 days before the meeting. Use PPMD's IEP checklist to help you think about any questions you may have.
- Highlight areas for discussion and make a list of concerns. Be sure to include areas of growth (so you can celebrate!) and areas that need improvement.
- Ask questions about anything you don't understand or want explained and bring a friend to take notes and support you.
Two useful documents:
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Save These Dates!
April 9, 2013
Charting Life's Transition: Understand Your Role in Your Child's Life
Click here to download the flyer.
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Columbia, MD
410-290-3466 or dpalmer@howard-autism.org
April 20, 2013
Around the World of Special Education
8:30am - 3:30pm
LaVale, MD
April 20, 2013
8:00am - 3:15pm
Seat Pleasant, MD
April 20, 2013
Towson University
April 27, 2013
Tests and Measurements
10:00am - 12:00pm
Prince Frederick, MD
April 30, 2013
Workshop for Parents of Children with Down Syndrome
10:00am - 12:00pm
Largo, MD
May 2, 2013
8:00am - 4:30pm
BWI Airport
May 11, 2013
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Rockville, MD
There are a lot of new workshops and training events on our calendar! Be sure to 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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Healthy People 2020 Report
Every decade, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes Healthy People, a document that provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Healthy People 2020 includes almost 600 objectives in 42 categories, from Disability and Health to Genomics to Public Health Infrastructure. The authors of Healthy People 2020 recognized that children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN) deserve dedicated objectives to foster better health in this particularly vulnerable group, so there are about 100 objectives in Healthy People 2020 related specifically to CYSHCN. You can download the report at the Genetic Alliance website.
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Think College Listserv
Think College is an initiative of the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston, funded by federal grants focused on postsecondary education for people with intellectual disabilities. The listserv offers an opportunity for parents, students, and providers to connect and share information and ideas. You can learn more and subscribe at the ThinkCollege website.
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Sibling Leadership Network
Founded in 2007, the Sibling Leadership Network (SLN) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing siblings of individuals with disabilities the information, support and tools to advocate with their brothers and sisters and to promote issues important to
them and their entire families. The SLN will be holding its national conference on June 6th, 2013 in Pittsburgh, PA.
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