Helpful information for those of us with children that are prone to wandering off.

The holiday season can be a particularly challenging time for both children with autism and their families. The value of planning for the holidays cannot be overestimated for those with sensory sensitivities, who thrive on routine, and are easily disoriented. The holidays are filled with sights, sounds, and smells. The average household is turned into a busy, frantic, festive place. The stores are brightly lit, excessively noisy with holiday music and busy with shoppers rushing in every direction. All of these sudden and dramatic changes for a child on the spectrum can easily create a sensory overload, making the holidays a difficult time for both the child with autism and their parents.

These parents need our support and encouragement because they are humans that have been given an assignment intended for saints. Autism affects each individual differently and at different levels of severity. The following statistics helps us to better understand why thoughtfully planning for the holidays is so important.

• 1 out of 91 children has been diagnosed Autistic
• 92% of Autistic children wander
• The number one cause of death among Autistic children that wander is drowning

Remember, there is no right or wrong answers and what works for one family may not work for another. But by reducing or eliminating potential triggers for wandering and adding an effective program to quickly locate and rescue individuals who tend to wander, you will keep your child safe and give yourself the peace of mind you deserve.

Project Lifesaver International is the premier organization nation-wide providing law enforcement and first responders with the training and technology to quickly find individuals with cognitive disorders who have wandered. Following the signal from a small transmitter placed on the patient, first responders from “Member Agencies” who have been trained and certified by Project Lifesaver quickly track to the location of the wanderer. Recovery times for individuals in the Project Lifesaver program averages 30 minutes, compared to nine hours for individuals without a tracking system. To date Project Lifesaver’s success rate is 100%.

I love The Coffee Bean – ice blended chais in the summer and a hot winter dream tea latte in the winter – yummy! I also love that the company regularly partners with autism support organizations! Check out this press release for details on the latest fundraising program.

Beginning this Thursday, you can support The Help Group, the largest nonprofit organization of its kind in the United States serving children with autism and other special needs, by visiting your local The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CTBL)® store to purchase one or more $1 holiday stickers during its “Deck the Walls” program. Now in its 10th year, this holiday promotion will run from November 24 through January 1 at 174 locations throughout California and the Western United States.

“Each year, CTBL lights up the season with its wonderful ‘Deck the Walls’ campaign – that radiates the true spirit of the holidays and raises significant funds to benefit the children. As always, we are immensely proud to be part of the CBTL family,” said Dr. Barbara Firestone, President & CEO of The Help Group.

One hundred percent of the holiday sticker purchases will benefit The Help Group. Another way customers can participate is by purchasing the Winter Dream Tea® and Holiday Blend Whole Bean Coffee. CBTL will donate $1 from the sale of each of these items to The Help Group.

Mel Elias, President & Chief Executive Officer of CBTL said “In the spirit of giving, we are pleased to once again host the ‘Deck the Walls’ holiday campaign in support of the children of The Help Group. We thank our The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® team and our customers for their commitment to this special program each year.”

Photo: pink_fish13/Flickr

Dr. Temple Grandin is one of the most well recognized names in the world of autism. She is a frequent speaker at Future Horizons autism conferences and has a feature-rich website. Her website just got better, though, with the addition of a new question and answer section.

If you’ve ever wanted to ask Dr. Grandin a question, now is your chance. Although the feature is relatively new, there are already several different questions and answers on the website.

The first question, from Nicholas, touches on the sometimes-controversial topic of biomedical interventions. Nicholas asks Dr. Grandin whether she thinks that autism is reversible with biomedical treatments.

The following is an excerpt from Dr. Grandin’s answer:

“Some biomedical interventions can bring about some significant improvements. Some of the most effective ones would be dairy free, wheat/gluten free and sugar free. These dietary interventions work for some people and for some they do not. Usually about 20% see results.”

Check out the rest of this answer and more, visit Dr. Temple Grandin’s website now.

Photo: jurvetson/Flickr

If you’re going to be in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area during Major League Baseball’s All Star Weekend then check out this autism benefit from The Reggie Sanders Foundation. The Big League Wiffle Ball event will benefit the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC).

Yellow Bat Fury

Saturday, July 9th 2011 MLB ALL STAR Weekend
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Scottsdale, AZ (Home Of  The Arizona Diamondbacks & Colorado Rockies Spring Training)
Check-in 8am to 9am First Pitch 9am
Awards Reception
Only Accepting 4 Exclusive Teams to Support Reggie Sanders’ Charity

Autographed Memorabilia & Prizes Provided 1st Through 4th Place

Team Package (Bring 9 Players) – $2,500

Guarantee of (2) 5-inning WIFFLE BALL GAMES- Winner’s & Loser’s Bracket

Guarantee to play with Former/Present Professional Baseball Players & Celebrities

Each player receives a tournament t-shirt and a ticket for the Awards Reception

Individual Package – $250 per person

Guarantee of (2) 5-inning WIFFLE BALL GAMES- Winner’s & Loser’s Bracket

Guarantee to play with Former/Present Professional Baseball Players & Celebrities

A tournament t-shirt and a ticket for The Awards Reception

Tickets to Watch the Game – $2

Please contact: John Zackery
 Special Events Coordinator – 
Reggie Sanders Foundation- 
(602) 421-3479
 or jzackerygmailcom

Photo: DRB62/Flickr

Check out this video of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump discussing their support of Autism Speaks for National Autism Awareness Month.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day and the entire month of April is National Autism Awareness Month. Naturally, there are a lot of autism-related news stories out there. So, I thought I’d do a single post with links to several different Autism Awareness Month stories – enjoy!

Rethink Autism Launches Video Series to Answer Key Questions About Autism for Parents

April is Autism Awareness Month. As part of its commitment to the autism community, educational technology company Rethink Autism is helping to educate parents through a new video series on their home page, “Every Day Counts, Everyone Can Help.”
Developed by Rethink Autism’s clinical team and hosted by Rethink Autism’s Director of Research and Training, Dr. Hannah Hoch, the series provides an overview of autism, video examples of early warning signs, and research-based teaching strategies that they can start using immediately.

Remembered.com Supports Autism Awareness Month

Remembered.com, the online memorial website, is supporting Autism Awareness Month by building awareness and donating $5 for every paid memorial website during the month of April. The social networking memorial site is always free for all family and friends to use to share the life and legacy of their loved ones.

900 Hair Cuttery Salons Nationwide to “Act For Autism” During April Promotion with Easter Seals

Throughout Autism Awareness Month in April, consumers can visit more than 900 Hair Cuttery salons nationwide to “Act For Autism” to support Easter Seals services for families living with autism in their communities. Hair Cuttery fundraising throughout the country will include point-of-sale consumer donations and a special $5.00 discount coupon to readers of Parents Magazine who make a donation to Easter Seals Act for Autism.

Photo: mattbeckwith/Flickr

Today marks the start of Autism Awareness Month 2011 and instead of posting about raising autism awareness, I’m simply going to share with you the two faces of autism in my house.

Robert MacNeil, grandfather of a boy with autism, will be hosting a six-part Autism Today program on PBS NEWSHOUR in honor of Autism Awareness Month. The six-part series will begin on Monday, April 18, 2011. The schedule and topics of discussion follow:

Monday, April 18
An introduction to Nick and autism as a whole body experience:  MacNeil brings viewers along on a visit with his daughter and grandson Nick in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to see how autism affects the whole family, including his 10-year-old sister, Neely.  Nick experiences autism not just as a disorder in brain development but also as physical ailments affecting the whole body.

Tuesday, April 19
Autism Prevalence:  Why are the numbers of children with autism increasing?  At the UC Davis MIND Institute in Sacramento, California, MacNeil sees the wide range of different behaviors that comprise the autism spectrum. Anthropologist Richard Grinker argues that the rising  numbers of children with autism is explained because conditions previously given other names, like mental retardation, are now included in the autism spectrum.  Scientist Irva Hertz-Picciotto says the wider definition only partly explains the increased prevalence, pointing instead to a variety of environmental factors.

Wednesday, April 20
Autism Causes: The rise in autism numbers has caused a surge in research to find the causes.   For the latest thinking, Robert MacNeil speaks with four leading researchers: Dr. Gerald Fischbach of the Simons Foundation, Dr. David Amaral of the MIND Institute, Dr. Martha Herbert of Harvard University and Dr. Craig Newschaffer of Drexel University.

Thursday, April 21
Autism Treatment: Although children with autism see doctors periodically, they go to school everyday.  It is the school system that bears most of the burden of treating children with autism because treatment means education.  MacNeil visits two schools in New York – a public school in the Bronx teaching 700 children with autism and a charter school created in Manhattan as a model of possibilities in educating children with autism.  With only 30 students, it can use one-on-one teacher/student ratios employing intensive Applied Behavioral Analysis – the gold standard treatment for autism.

Monday, April 25
Adults with Autism: Although federal law mandates educational services for children with autism, there are virtually no services when they become adults.  MacNeil profiles Zachary Hamrick in Mahwah, New Jersey, about to turn 21. As his family contemplates the uncertain future now facing hundreds of thousands of young people like him, his parents ask themselves, “What will happen when we die?”

Tuesday, April 26
Autism Policy : The NEWSHOUR series ends with a discussion of the public policy issues raised in the series, including the enormous discrepancy in the quality and availability  of services  for  children and future adults in what the federal committee that determines research priorities for autism now calls a “national health emergency” with a panel of experts including:  Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, Catherine Lord, Professor of Psychology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, Ilene Lainer, Executive Director of the New York Center for Autism – a private advocacy group, and John Shestack, a Hollywood producer and the co-founder of “Cure Autism Now” a former advocacy group. 

Check your local listings for channel and time information.

Photo: BLW Photography/Flickr

Another busy day here in The Autism Education Site household so I’m sharing a press release with you – 101 Games and Activities for Youth with Autism by Suzanne M. Gray will be released on World Autism Day 2011.

Fitness Activities for Children With Autism Outlined in New Book

Special Needs Fitness Guru Suzanne M. Gray Releases New Book on World Autism Awareness Day: Shows Ways to Improve Health and Socialization Skills

WILLOWBROOK, Ill., March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — More than half of children with autism spectrum disorders are overweight, at risk for diabetes or cardiovascular disease, have bone and joint problems or suffer from depression. These alarming statistics were the impetus for a new book on exercise-related activities for children with autism, written by nationally recognized fitness expert Suzanne M. Gray. The book is being released in conjunction with World Autism Day on April 2.

As one of America’s leading fitness professionals for children with autism, Gray understands how these exercises work in improving motor skills and muscle tone, eliminating self-destructive and self-stimulating behaviors and enhancing socialization skills in children with autism. The book, entitled, 101 Games and Activities for Youth with Autism, is published by Healthy Learning and is now available online at www.Right-Fit.com and www.healthylearning.com.

The fitness activities and games in this book are based on the author’s innovative “Raise the Bar” program, which received Club Industry Magazine’s “Best Children’s Fitness Program for 2010.”

“The book outlines specific exercises that parents can do with their children every day,” says Gray. “A regular fun routine that also mimics play is essential to improve the muscular imbalances and compensations, deficient motor skills, poor posture and other fitness pitfalls common in youth with autism. These exercises will help increase independence, happiness and self-esteem.”

On Monday I received an email from Abukar Hussein with San Diego Somali Autism Awareness (SDSAA) informing me of the organization’s new website. According to Hussein, San Diego has the second largest Somali population in the United States, just behind Minneapolis. There have been numerous studies researching the incidence of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses among children of Somali descent in Minneapolis.

Hussein’s website is launching to provide a valuable resource to Somali residents in the San Diego area. Here is an excerpt from the SDSAA’s mission statement:

Our Aim is to educate African Refugees on Autism, its cause and how to tackle as the Disorder, we are willing to fully collaborate with Doctors, specialist and research centers to help and Communities Understand what Autism is all about.

Please help Hussein build this resource by spreading the word about the SDSAA website and reaching out to him if you’re in the area and can offer guidance.

Photo: JacobEnos/Flickr