April is Autism Awareness Month. Given the new report (see the article below) that shows the estimated number of children with autism is now 1 in 68, we are offering several articles and resources on autism in this newsletter. Our quarterly Maryland COC meeting will also focus on autism. We'd love to have you join us for that meeting on April 23 at 10:00 am at the Meeting House in Columbia. You can get the address and more information at www.marylandcoc.com. Everyone is welcome! |
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New Report on Children with Autism
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20 Tips for Keeping Your Special Needs Child Safe in Your Home
Many individuals with autism and other special needs might not be aware of the numerous potential dangers that exist in our homes. That is why we, as parents of kids with special needs, often need to be extra vigilant when it comes to household safety, remembering that "child-proofing" our homes is sometimes necessary for our adult offspring as well as our young children.
The 20 tips that can help you keep your child or someone else with special needs stay safe while he or she is in your home include knowing what house plants are poisonous and knowing where the gas shut off valves are. You can read the full story here.
For more information on making your home safe you can visit the Autism Speaks website for a list of resources.
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Early Signs of Autism Video Tutorials
 | | Bringing the Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders Into Focus |
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, autism advocacy groups and researchers have all drawn attention to the importance of the early detection of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to make access to early intervention possible. The scientific literature indicates that the average age of ASD diagnosis is 4 years, despite the fact that about half of children with this neurodevelopmental disorder may be detected by age 14 months.
The AAP recommends that ASD-specific screeners be administered within pediatric practices beginning at age 18 months. However, these screeners are imperfect and often require parents to provide 'yes' or 'no' answers to questions about the presence of certain behaviors. Yet ASD-related behaviors often present inconsistently, and are intermixed with behaviors seen in typically-developing children. In addition, ASD-related behaviors often differ from typical development in quality, not just in quantity.
To find out more and view all the videos visit the
Kennedy Krieger website here
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Maryland Special Education Parent Survey Coming!
The Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement 2014 survey is being conducted April 7 to May 30, 2014 by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services. All parents or guardians of children ages 3 to 21 who are receiving special education and related services through their local school system are invited to participate.
The purpose of this survey is to determine how well your child's school is partnering with you and promoting parent involvement in your child's education. Your feedback will help guide efforts to improve special education and related services in your local school system. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD!
Take the survey on the mdparentsurvey.com website.
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MD Deaf-Blind Project Offers Support for Families
Connections Beyond Sight and Sound is a partnership between the Maryland State Department of Education and the University of Maryland, College Park. This project supports children with deaf-blindness in their homes, schools, and communities by providing consultation, training, special programs, resources, and technical assistance to children and their families and care providers.
During Fall, 2013, CBSS became the collaborative Maryland and District of Columbia Deaf-blind Project. In previous grant cycles, CBSS served as the Maryland Deaf-blind Project and provided support for the DC Deaf-blind Project through supplemental grant funds.
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Insurance Resources from Pathfinders for Autism
Pathfinders for Autism has updated the insurance resources pages of their website to include a more easy-to-use guide to help determine whether an individual's health insurance plan is regulated by Maryland and therefore must now cover ABA under the Habilitative Services Mandate. Also below is a link to a news article with some more information about the new law (the good news and the challenges remaining . . .) and a link to Pathfinders' NEW Insurance Guide.
Is My Insurance Plan Regulated by Maryland?
Below are direct links to the news article and new insurance guide on the Pathfinders for Autism website.
New Autism Law in Maryland
Pathfinders New Insurance Guide
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Support Group for Men in the Lives of Children with Special Needs Forming
Interested in working to develop a group for Dads, Step-Dads, Grandfathers, and other males who play an important role in the lives of children with special needs?
Contact Terry Lindsay at Parents' Place at 410-768-9100 or by email at terry@ppmd.org.
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Upcoming Events
April 4, 2014
9:00am - 4:00pm
Columbia, MD
April 5, 2014
9:00am - 1:30pm
Baltimore, MD
April 10, 2014
How Will I Know if My Child is Making Progress
6 pm to 8 pm
Aberdeen, MD
April 12, 2014
11:00am - 4:00pm
Rockville, MD
April 23, 2014
10:00am -12:30am
Columbia, MD
April 24, 2014
Bullying and Harassment
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Aberdeen, MD
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Workshops
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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Free Online App Translates Healthcare Questions
This free app translates medical phrases covering history, physical exam, procedures, and reassessment in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Bengali, Filipino, Hindi, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Vietnamese, and more. Communicate instantly with patients in any language. Currently only available via the App Store. Visit canopyapps.com for more information.
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Autism on the Seas
Autism on the Seas has been in collaboration with Royal Caribbean International since 2007 in developing cruise vacation services to accommodate adults and families living with children with special needs.
Activities/Sessions with staff allow guests the use of the ships' entertainment venues in an accommodated and assisted manner. They also provide a "Cruise Assistance Package" on all of the major Cruise Lines to help accommodate guests who wish to cruise on their own. Find out more at the AutismontheSeas website. |
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Autism at-a-Glance for High School Students
Autism at-a-Glance is designed for high school staff members supporting students on the autism spectrum, as well as family members of adolescents on the autism spectrum. Autism at-a-Glance provides a current summary of topics relevant to high school students on the autism spectrum as well as practical
tips and resources for school and community personnel and family members.
The Center on Secondary Education for Students Autism Spectrum Disorder have published the first two Autism at-a-Glance resources that focus on the characteristics and needs of students on the autism spectrum related to communication, and concrete ways that school staff can support the students in the high school environment. You can access the Autism at-a-Glance at the
CSESA website here.
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