Although the Wrightslaw conferences aren’t specific to autism spectrum disorders, they are one of the best resources available for parents that want to learn more about special education law. The more you know about IDEA 2004, 504s, IEPs, etc, the better advocate you can be for your child. The following is a list of the Wrightslaw Special Education Law Conferences scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2010.

• October 21, 2010: Springfield (Greater Philadelphia), PA
• October 28, 2010: Aouthern NH
• November 4, 2010: Newburgh, NY
• December 9, 2010: Oklahoma City, OK

Registration is limited at most of these events so early registration is key. For more information, visit the Wrightslaw website.

I have just added a new event to my 2010 Autism Conferences directory but I wanted to make a new post so that everyone knows about this great conference being held in Ontario, Canada.

CARD Canada Autism Conference
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Galt Country Club
750 Coronation Blvd
Cambridge, Ontario N1R 8E3

The Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. is bringing together top autism and medical experts for a one day conference that will deliver the most effective autism interventions, the most current autism research, and information on the most successful autism curricula to date. The conference begins with a keynote presentation by world-renowned autism expert/researcher Doreen Granpeesheh, PhD, BCBA-D. The conference is designed for: parents, practitioners, caregivers and students. Cost: Parents and Students $75, Practitioners $150. For complete details and to register, visit http://www.centerforautism.com/canada-autism-conference

HBO’s movie Temple Grandin was the darling of the 2010 Emmy Awards and backstage Temple Grandin herself had some wise words to say about autism and the movie.

I hope this movie’s gonna educate a lot of people about autism..there’s still a lot of people that don’t understand autism. Autism varies from…somebody that might be a Silicon Valley genius to someone that may be handicapped and nonverbal.

Not everyone understands that autism truly encompasses a spectrum of conditions. She also discussed the sensory processing issues and anxiety that individuals on the autism spectrum commonly deal with. There are many misconceptions about individuals on the autism spectrum and I hope that this movie helps open people’s eyes, especially now that it has received so much positive press.

It is back to school time and for many families with children on the autism spectrum, this is a particularly difficult transition time. The Autism Conferences of America is helping families with the upcoming Arizona “Back to School” Autism/Asperger’s Conference. The conference will be held on September 17-18, 2010 at the Phoenix Convention Center and it will feature tracks on school, family, medical, social/speech, and teen/adult issues.

Rick Clemens, M.A. will be presenting the Friday morning keynote on going Back to School Without Any Neurotypical Peers…Definitely Not The Best Practice. During his keynote he will discuss the Inclusive Education Quality Program Indicator Checklist and Assessment Tool for Children with Autism. Saturday morning’s keynote, Social Thinking: How Does This Treatment Mix With Others Available by Michelle Garcia Winner, CCC-SLP.

The conference features a bevy of discussions in three parallel tracks for each conference day. I won’t list them all in this post but here are a few of interest:

• Learning Social Skills & Making Friends
• The Basics of Applied Behavior Analysis
• The Emotions of Autism
• Secret Study Tips For Learning to Learn
• Collaboration Between Students, Teacher and SLP
• Mitochondrial Problems in Autism
• “Empowering Students With Autism” in Bullying Situations
• Dad’s and Mom’s Lunchtime Panels

A full two-day pass to the conference runs $180 for family members but if you act fast and register and pay for the conference by this Friday, August 27, 2010 you are eligible for the early bird registration fee of $160. For more information about the Arizona “Back to School” Autism/Asperger’s Conference call (480) 831-2047.

Behavioral Innovations, the premier provider of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for families of children with Autism and other developmental disorders, announces the expansion of its San Antonio services to include In-home Autism Treatment programs and consultation services for schools and professionals.

“San Antonio families will now have the opportunity to work with an outstanding, gifted team of therapists led by Board Certified Behavior Analysts, some of whom are fluent in Spanish,” said Billy Edwards, Executive Director of Behavioral Innovations.

Behavioral Innovations currently offers San Antonio families center-based ABA services including full and part time day programs and assessments. Now with the expansion of its services, the company also provides multiple home-based program options as well as school and professional consultation services.

Behavioral Innovations In-Home ABA therapy program is designed to help San Antonio families that may have transportation constraints or in need of quality behavioral services in a home setting. A clinical staff member, directly overseen by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), will visit the family’s residence each week providing 4, 12, or 24 hours of therapy plus parent training, treatment planning and coordination of the In-Home ABA therapy program.

Behavioral Innovations Consulting Services are designed to provide training that will assist school systems and professionals in working with children with Autism. These services will offer much needed support to the Greater San Antonio community by helping provide the skills professionals need in order to better serve children and their families who are impacted by Autism.

“San Antonio parents need quality programs in order to ensure their children get the best treatment possible to improve their children’s quality of life and their family’s future,” said Edwards. “We are pleased to provide the finest Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services available in this community.”

In early 2010, Behavioral Innovations became the first in-network Aetna provider of ABA services, offering families the opportunity to access more affordable services. The company also became the first in-network provider for United Behavioral Healthcare and now provides in-network services for Magellan, Humana (LifeSynch) and Tricare/Humana for military families. The company may be able to provide in-network benefits for other companies on a case by case basis. The team is working diligently with additional insurance companies to gain provider status and network coverage in order to help families in the future. Families with policies out of network may seek reimbursement for covered services.

Behavioral Innovations offers complimentary tours for parents of children with Autism and other behavioral or delay disorders. All Behavioral Innovations Autism Treatment Centers and In-Home programs are designed to provide a clinical setting where children receive superior therapy services. The company is hosting a free Family Autism Fun Day for San Antonio area families at Morgan’s Wonderland from Noon – 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 29th. Advance reservations are required and may be made by contacting Behavioral Innovations.

For additional information about Behavioral Innovations, contact the company at info@behavioral-innovations.com or call 469.374.0700 or 877.750.0ABA (0222).

Good news for parents of individuals with autism in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, both states have recently enacted autism insurance reform legislation. In New Hampshire, House Bill 569, Connor’s Law, was recently signed by NH Governor John Lynch. In Massachusetts, House Bill 4935 was signed into law by MA Governor Deval Patrick. This is good news for children with autism in both states!

Connor’s Law Information

NEW YORK, NY (July 27, 2010) — Autism Speaks joined New Hampshire families, the New Hampshire Council on Autism Spectrum Disorders, the Autism Society of New Hampshire, and other autism advocacy organizations on Friday in applauding Governor John Lynch for enacting House Bill 569, also known as Connor’s Law. This bill requires health insurance companies to provide coverage of evidence-based, medically necessary autism therapies, such as applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. HB 569 will go into effect on January 1, 2011.

Connor’s Law requires that a medical professional submit a treatment plan detailing the course of therapy. To be eligible for coverage, ABA therapy must be provided by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst or by someone working under the supervision of such a professional. The bill also includes a $36,000 annual cap on applied behavioral analysis (ABA) for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) birth to age 12, and $27,000 for youth 13 to 21. Insurance coverage for non ABA related therapies does not have any age limits or monetary caps.

Massachusetts Autism Insurance Information

NEW YORK, NY (August 4, 2010) — Autism Speaks joined Massachusetts families and other autism advocacy organizations in applauding Governor Deval Patrick yesterday for signing the House Bill 4935 (An Act Relative to Insurance Coverage for Autism Spectrum Disorder) requiring private health insurance plans to provide coverage of evidence-based, medically necessary autism therapies for people of all ages.

The bill, which was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Frederick Berry (2nd Essex District), and State Representative L’Italien (18th Essex District), Vice Chair of Ways and Means, ends private insurance companies’ discrimination against individuals of all ages diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder by requiring coverage of medically necessary autism treatments, including evidence-based behavioral health treatments.

Alexicom Tech’s internet-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system is convenient and the company has just improved their service with the recently released free Android app. The new app allows Alexicom users to port their Alexicom pages directly to their Android device. A convenient AAC system is literally at your fingertips.

For more information on the new app, visit the Alexicom Tech Android app instruction page.

Is autism tied to wealth? A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggest that autism is tied to wealth with a higher rate of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses found in upper-income households. The results of this study, which used children in the United States as the focal point, are in direct contrast to a Scandinavian study, which showed no correlation between the two. However, Scandinavian countries have universal health care and thus the income disparity may not play a significant role in diagnostic rates in families across all income levels.

The following is the conclusion of the study as printed in the abstract. Please note that SES stands for socioeconomic status.

The stronger SES gradient in ASD prevalence in children with versus without a pre-existing ASD diagnosis points to potential ascertainment or diagnostic bias and to the possibility of SES disparity in access to services for children with autism. Further research is needed to confirm and understand the sources of this disparity so that policy implications can be drawn. Consideration should also be given to the possibility that there may be causal mechanisms or confounding factors associated with both high SES and vulnerability to ASD.

And more from the study:

A compelling argument has been made that the positive associations between SES and ASD prevalence that have been observed likely are due either in part or entirely to ascertainment bias. For example, it has been suggested that “more parents of high social class families [have] the necessary information and financial resources to find their way to the specialized facilities” and “a knowledgeable and determined parent of an autistic child [is] more likely to obtain an informed diagnosis”.

Obviously more research needs to be done into why autism prevalence tends to be higher in those with higher incomes. Is this a direct correlation or is an external factor (or factors) skewing the results here in the United States?

Dr. James Garbarino, author of See Jane Hit and Lost Boys, will be speaking at a Bullying Prevention Conference at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. The conference is hosted by NAU’s Martin-Springer Institute and will be held on Saturday, September 11, 2010 on the campus of Northern Arizona University.

Registration for this one-day conference is only $30 and includes a continental breakfast, a full lunch, all conference materials, and a professional development certificate for six clock hours.

To register for this event, contact Melissa Cohen at (928) 532-2464.