The Arc of Whatcom County

PARENT COALITION E-ALERT

January 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

Support Meetings

Autism 200 Series

Autism Workshop

iPad Workshop

FACES Meeting

RESOURCES

Upcoming Events

Legislative Action Center

Programs

ELECTED OFFICIALS

FEDERAL

Sen. Maria Cantwell

cantwell.senate.gov

(202)224-3441

Sen. Patty Murray

murray.senate.gov

(202)224-2621

1st District

Rep. Suzan Delbene

delbene.house.gov

(202) 225-6311

2nd District

Rep. Rick Larsen

http://larsen.house.gov/

(202)225-2605

STATE

42nd District

Sen. Doug Ericksen

ericksen.doug@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7682

Rep. Vincent Buys

buys.vincent@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7980

Rep. Jason Overstreet

overstreet.jason@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7980

40th District

Sen. Kevin Ranker

ranker.kevin@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7678

Rep. Kristine Lytton

lytton.kristine@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7800

Rep. Jeff Morris

morris.jeff@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7970

MAILING LIST

Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and are starting 2014 with great energy and hope!

The January newsletter is currently in the mail to families and community members. To have a digital copy, please click here. We encourage you to share this newsletter with others who would be interested. This legislative issue includes contact information for local and federal legislators, advocacy day dates and helpful information on how to get involved and make a difference. Remember, it can take just minutes a week to make your voice heard!

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Monica: 360-715-0170, ext. 303 or monicab@arcwhatcom.org.

Sincerely,
The Arc of Whatcom Team

SUPPORT MEETINGS

Parent to Parent Support Meeting

Monday, January 13, 7-8:30pm

WCEL, 2001 H Street

Contact Christine: 255-2056, ext 1

Whatcom Alliance for Health Advancement (WAHA) will present current information on the WA State Healthcare Marketplace and Affordable Care Act to help answer any and all of your questions.

Onsite childcare is available for those who RSVP by Friday, Jan. 10.

Contact Christine at 255-2056 ext 1

or email christine@p2pwhatcom.org to register.

The Arc's Autism Support Group

Friday, January 17, 12-1:30pm

The Arc's Dan Godwin Community Center

2602 McLeod Road, Bellingham

Contact Monica: 715-0170, ext 303,

monicab@arcwhatcom.org

AUTISM 200 SERIES

Want to expand your knowledge and understanding of autism?

Autism 200 is a series of classes for parents and caregivers of children with autism. Faculty from Seattle Children's, the University of Washington and community providers teach the classes via teleconference. Each class is open to the public and includes time for questions. Locally the classes are presented at Western Washington University Communication Sciences and Disorders AIC Building, 516 High Street, Bellingham.

PLEASE NOTE: You must RSVP in advance. Contact Jessica: bowerj2@students.wwu, 509-638-8980.

Autism 201: State of Autism in 2014

7:00pm-8:30pm, Thursday, January 16

Instructor: Bryan King, MD, Director,

Seattle Children's Autism Center

For more information, visit The Seattle Children's Autism Center's website: www.seattlechildrens.org/clinics-programs/autism-center/resources.

AUTISM WORKSHOP

Fostering Independence and Engagement in Children with Autism

Educators and parents often struggle to promote engagement and independence in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD may demonstrate significant issues with off-task behavior and prompt dependency. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn a variety of strategies to facilitate engagement and increase independence. Self-management, prompt-fading strategies, activity schedules, and other practical, evidence-based tools will be covered.

Wednesday, January 15

8:30am - 3:30pm

NWESD, 1601 R Avenue, Anacortes

Registration Fees: Professionals $90 / Parents $30

Presenter: Nancy Rosenberg, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Autism and Positive Behavior Support Specialist

Visit https://www.nwesd.org/autism or call 1-888-704-9633

for information on classes and video conference participation.

COMMUNICATION & ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

THE ARC'S ASK THE ADVOCATE WORKSHOP

Communication & Assistive Technology

6-8pm, Tuesday, January 21

The Arc's Dan Godwin Community Center

2602 McLeod Road, Bellingham

ipad Presenters will include Missy Bartel and Amy McKinley. Missy is a speech therapist and owner of Connections SLP, a leading speech therapy clinic in Whatcom County since 2000. Amy is a parent of a child with developmental disabilities who uses his iPad for communication. The focus of this workshop will be communication apps, as well as how to incorporate all assistive technology into school, work and home.

Please RSVP: (360) 715-0170 ext. 303, monicab@arcwhatcom.org.

Supervised care for family members is available if you RSVP by Friday, January 17th.

FACES PARENT MEETING

Do you know about the local summer camp

for children and young adults with autism?

FACES Northwest is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation founded and operated by parents of children with autism in Whatcom County. They conduct an eight-week therapeutic recreational day camp in July and August for children and young adults with autism from ages 5 through 21.

Campers are exposed to community involvement, independent living skills, academic enrichment and positive social relationships using evidence-based strategies. The camp works in partnership with school districts to offer an Extended School Year (ESY) program, targeting the specific needs of autistic children and young adults according to their Individual Educational Plan (IEP). Each camper is teamed with a one-on-one instructional assistant in order to maximize their potential for success.

For more information on FACES camp, costs and applications, please visit: www.facesnorthwest.com.

You can also attend the upcoming meeting on Wednesday, January 29 from 6:30-8pm at St. Luke's Community Health Education Center

3333 Squalicum Parkway, Bellingham

NOTE: If you are planning to enroll your child in this camp, this is a mandatory meeting for at least one parent/guardian per child.