KindTree is dedicated to serving and celebrating the Autism Community through art, education, and recreation. With warm hearted whimsy, an open sense of family and a deep level of caring, we reach inside ourselves to embrace our flaws, gather our strengths, and offer our love while reaching out to people with autism spectrum disorders, their families and care givers. Through the power of self-advocacy in an atmosphere of acceptance and respect, autistic and neuro-normal people alike can work toward self- realization.
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Autism Community News  April 9, 2008

Seeking Your Stories

"Autism Artism 2008"

Original stories by people with autism:
personal successes
poetry or creative writing
autism culture
click here for more...

Art by people with Autism:
Notecards and More...
Help Support Artists
With Autism

 

KindTree   FLASH !      April 9, 2008            www.kindtree.org


News: Autism Awareness Month
Submit Your Story

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Amazing UK Artist
Very Low Birth weight Babies
How Can I Improve School Services?

2007 Special Ed Statistics

Facial Expression Simulator

Asperger Counseling Northwest
Artist Opportunities
ASO Respite still on
Teen is Guilty
What is Mainstreaming - Inclusion?
Video Game Addiction
Pakistani Star

 

April is Autism Awareness Month

So I hope you are all aware of autism now...

Doris Germain is again sponsoring KindTree's Autism Forum - thank you, Doris. With her help we are providing you an opportunity to share your successes, your unique perspective as a member of the autism community, your writing skills, yourself.

We don't spend much time talking about KindTree's mission statement, but maybe this is a good time to review it.

"KindTree is dedicated to serving and celebrating the Autism Community through art, education, and recreation. With warm hearted whimsy, an open sense of family and a deep level of caring, we reach inside ourselves to embrace our flaws, gather our strengths, and offer our love while reaching out to people with autism spectrum disorders, their families and care givers. Through the power of self-advocacy in an atmosphere of acceptance and respect, autistic and neuro-normal people alike can work toward self- realization. "

That's what we will be doing at the Autism Forum this May 18, 1 - 5 at the Hilyard Center. Please join us. We'll have a craft area for the kids, writings and presentations by people with autism and their friends (that's YOU!), a cooking demo, and a really fun movement exercise with Benjamin Luskin. We may have another surprise for you, as well.

If you'd like, you can share this info with others by using this link to a .pdf poster you can print and distribute. Tell your friends, colleagues and students.

"Autism Artism 2008" is back! 37 artists submitted 190 images for the June 14-July 18 Art Show at LCC Art Gallery. Wow! The jury will be busy!

Our volunteer jury this year includes artist and mom Nancy Bright, artist and framer Karen Howe, artist and sculpture Jud Turner, LCC gallery director Jennifer Salzman, care provider and KindTree board member Franklin Michael, and myself.

Many thanks to these volunteers, and to sponsors Elizabeth King, the Eugene Downtown Lions Club and GreyWolf Projects. You can help, too, by making a donation to help support this great program. Many of our artists find inspiration and validation participating in this program. Use the donation button on the right. Do what you can.

Thanks - Tim Mueller


"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."- Martin Luther King, Jr.


NEWS

See the amazing picture by an autistic artist who drew London from memory after a single helicopter trip. 2nd April 2008 London Eye

The 13ft canvas details seven miles of London between Canary Wharf and the Tower of London. It was created entirely from memory depicting the London skyline in fine detail, was drawn after just one flight over the city and purely from memory.
Stephen Wiltshire, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, memorized the appearance and position of hundreds of London's buildings in exact scale during a helicopter ride along the Thames. Over the next five days, the 33-year-old drew the seven-square mile panorama, including landmarks such as the Swiss Re tower, and Canary Wharf, on a 13ft curving canvas.
See the picture here...


Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants More Likely to Show Early Signs of Autism

Marlene Busko

Medscape Medical News 2008. © 2008 Medscape

April 4, 2008

A recent study found that, among 91 toddlers who had been born prematurely and weighed from 1 pound to 3.28 pounds (460 to1490 g) at birth, 25% screened positive for early signs of autistic features.

This is the first study to document a high prevalence of early autistic features in survivors of extreme prematurity, the group, led by Catherine Limperopoulos, PhD, from McGill University, in Montreal Quebec, writes.

The toddlers were screened at a mean age of 21.9 ± 4.7 months using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. The findings suggest that "routine, systematic screening of very-low-birth-weight infants for early signs of autism is important," Dr. Limperopoulos told Medscape Psychiatry. "It's [also] important to perform formal diagnostic autism testing in those who test positive to confirm whether this initial positive screening does in fact translate into autism spectrum disorders," she said, noting that the team is currently performing these definitive follow-up tests for autism in this cohort.

The study looked at an extremely high-risk subgroup of premature infants with a gestational age range of 23 to 30 weeks (and did not include premature infants having a gestational age of 31 to 37 weeks), she added. The study is published in the April issue of Pediatrics. Advances in neonatal intensive care have dramatically increased the survival of preterm infants, but there is an increasing population of very-low-birth-weight children who experience significant disabilities in socialization, communication, and behavior, the group writes.

The study was prompted in part because the team had clinically observed that some very preterm infants displayed unusual social behaviors at follow-up visits. In addition, validated screening tests to detect early signs of autism have now become available.

Recent studies have demonstrated benefits from intense early interventions, and the American Academy of Pediatrics is endorsing autism screening for all children by age 2 years, Dr. Limperopoulos noted. The team aimed to perform autism screening tests on toddlers who had been born prematurely and had a very low birth weight and to identify risk factors associated with a positive screening result.

They studied 91 consecutive preterm infants with a birth weight of less than 3.3 pounds (1500 g). When the infants were between 18 and 24 months old, adjusted for prematurity, they were tested using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (a 23-item yes/no parent report checklist to detect early signs of autism at 16 to 30 months).

The children were also tested using the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1.5 to 5 years (a caregiver questionnaire about behavior and emotional problems in young children) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (a measure of a child's functional status in a wide range of skills).

One-Quarter Screened Positive A total of 23 of the 91 infants (25%) had a positive score on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers screening test. Having abnormal scores on this test correlated highly with having internalizing behavioral problems according to the Child Behavior Checklist and having socialization deficits according to the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale.

The infants were more likely to screen positive for early signs of autism if they had the following risk factors: male sex, abnormal MRI studies, lower birth weight, lower gestational age, maternal infection, maternal acute intrapartum hemorrhage, and more severe illness at birth. What Does this Mean?

"Early autistic behaviors seem to be an under recognized feature of very-low-birth-weight infants," the group concludes. "The results from this study suggest that early screening for signs of autism may be warranted in this high-risk population, followed by definitive autism testing in those with positive screening results."

Larger, prospective studies are needed to corroborate these findings and to determine to what extent this initial positive screening test result is a transient or emerging finding during a time of critical development, Dr. Limperopoulos added.

This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the LifeBridge Fund, the Caroline Levine foundation, the Trust Family Foundation, and the Canada Research Chairs Program.
Pediatrics 2008;121:758-765. Abstract


How can I get more services from my child’s school?

This question is a frequent one received by the Autism Society of Oregon (ASO). Parents and caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) want the best possible education for their child and sometimes feel like they are running in place, losing valuable time and getting no where in the special education system.

The intent of this article is to outline some steps when advocating for your child with ASD within the school setting. We always recommend that parents advocate in a positive way, showing respect, applying good listening skills and making a strong effort to relate to your child’s education team. You want to develop a team whose number one interest is the education of your child.

1. Develop a blueprint for your child with ASD: Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder and parents need to plan for this. Look at the long term picture, not just the child’s educational needs for the next school year. Before you go into the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting, ask yourself this question: What do I want my child’s adult life to look like? Then establish goals around how to achieve them over a student's lifetime. What are the functional life skills that are important now, and what are the critical life skills that need to be learned for a student to be more successful as an adult? By looking further down the road, parents are able to identify and prioritize lifelong goals so that the whole team can work towards greater success for a student. This can look like more service time, but more often results in better, more specialized and effective service time. When a parent comes with specific goals in mind, many teams do a better job of writing individualized goals that really make a difference. Special education teams accomplish more when they have a larger end goal in mind.

2. Quantify your concerns: Many parents go tell the special education team “I don’t think my child is improving”. The school district needs more information than this to evaluate your concerns. You might want to look at the IEP short term goals and try to quantify the data. If it says the goal should be hit 80% of the time, try working on the goal with your child at home and record your findings.  Maybe not as scientific as the school districts but will still have a quantifiable element to it to help support your position with the special education team.  If the team response is “We don’t see that at school.  He/she is meeting all of his goals here”, remind them that good results need to transcend school and occur in ALL environments-school, home, work environment, grocery store, etc.

3. Call an IEP meeting: Yes, as the caregivers of your child, you are entitled to call an IEP meeting at any time during the school year. You do not have to wait until the annual IEP meeting date to discuss your concerns. Sometimes a 5 minute conversation with the special education teacher will suffice, sometimes not. If you do request an IEP meeting, our suggestions are:

Put your meeting request in writing
Send it to all the IEP team participants and don’t forget to include the special education person from the school district
Outline in detail what it is you want to accomplish in the meeting
Do your homework before hand, quantifying your concerns as much as possible as recommended above
Make time recommendations (before school/after school?) and give the team an idea of how long you think the meeting should be.  In all due fairness to the teachers and specialists, they are very busy people too so be respectful of their time. 

Check out the IEP Partner Program with Oregon PTI, www.orpti.org, 1-888-891-6784. The IEP Partner can help you prepare for the meeting and take notes during the meeting. If you can’t get an IEP Partner, take a friend and ask them to take good notes for you.

4. Tap into the community beyond school: Check out other autism non-profits such as the Autism Society of Oregon, Bridgeway House, Kindtree, Autism Research & Resources of Oregon, Northwest Autism Foundation and the parent support groups around the state. Oregon PTI, www.orpti.org, sponsors great workshops on the IEP process, transition services, transitioning into kindergarten, how to advocate in the IEP meeting, etc. These workshops are free and occur throughout Oregon on a regular basis.

5. Tap into private therapies: If your budget and/or insurance allow it, get additional therapy for your child beyond what is being offered at school. Oregon has many specialists offering speech, sensory integration, ABA, RDI, behavioral consultations. Check the resource listings on ASO’s website at www.oregonautism.com or call ASO at 1-888-AUTISM1 for specialists in your area.

6. Share your concerns with your state representative! Last but certainly not least, contact your district legislator and tell them more services need to be allocated in the education system for kids with ASD.  Tell your legislator that Nancy Latini, head of Special Education for the Oregon Department of Education, is advocating for more funding in the 2009 session (The Oregonian, March 13, 2008). Remind your elected officials of how important education is for children living with autism. In the long run, their life will be greatly improved with the right education services made available to them today.
 

Autism Society of Oregon
P.O. Box 396
Marylhurst, OR 97036
www.oregonautism.com
(503)636-1676
1-888-AUTISM1


2007 Special Education Spreadsheet

Do you want to see the prevalence of various disabilities in the state of Oregon? Click here...


 Facial Expression Simulator useful for helping autistics learn facial expressions

Facial Expression Simulator Lets You Play with Emotions mrl.nyu.edu — Apparently it's useful for helping autistics learn
facial expressions, among other things............ http://digg.com/

http://mrl.nyu.edu/~perlin/facedemo/

How the face applet is helping children with autism
One day early in 2001, after I had shown this work at a conference, I was approached by Dorothy Strickland, who works with an organization, dotolearn.com, that helps children with autism and their parents to build skills to help in dealing with an often incomprehensible world. She asked whether they could put the face applet up on their site.

Of course I said yes. Since then, it's been a great success.
Read how this applet is being used to help children with special needs.


Asperger Counseling Northwest
Please note: New e-mail address, location, and expansion of services for the practice of
Nan Lester, MS, PC:
Asperger Counseling Northwest
aspergercounseling@comcast.net
943 Washington Street
Eugene, Oregon 97401
Phone and Fax (541)345-8588

I was having trouble with my computer. So I called Eric, the 11 year old next door, whose bedroom looks like Mission Control and asked him to come over. Eric clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem.
As he was walking away, I called after him, 'So, what was wrong? 
He replied, "It was an ID ten T error."
I didn't want to appear stupid, but nonetheless inquired, "An, ID ten T error? What's that? In case I need to fix it again."
Eric grinned.... "Haven't you ever heard of an "ID ten T" error before?"
"No," I replied.
"Write it down," he said, "and I think you'll figure it out."
So I wrote down: I D 1 0 T
I used to like Eric.............

 

Mainstreaming, Integration, Inclusion—Is There a Difference?

Lots of words are bandied about to describe people with disabilities being "in," or "part of" ordinary environments, such as school, community activities, work, etc. These words "mainstreaming, integration, and inclusion" are often used interchangeably. But do they mean the same thing? Let's examine the issue and explore what difference it all makes . .
(Click here for the entire article.)
From Disability is Natural


Life on the Spectrum

Despite many sensory challenges and obstacles, Qazi Fazli Azeem is a true success.
Poor eye contact and an inability to do math have not stopped him from becoming Pakistan's highest certified teacher in Multimedia/Graphic Design. He also has a natural talent for numerology and is so proficient that he has been requested to do readings for celebrities and even government officials from over eleven countries.
Come and learn from the real experts!

What's New at KINDTREE.ORG

Submit Your Story

KindTree needs your stories about the positive side of living with autism for our
Autism Forum 2008
The Spectrum Speaks

how to submit here..
May 10 Deadline



Autism Rocks Art Show
"Autism Artism 2008"
Gala Opening
June 14, 4-8pm
with Mayor Kitty Piercy
Rep Chris Edwards
SLUG Queen "Glo"
and "HOKOYO"

marimba music

More here...

Support
the Artists


DonateNow



Mother's Day
is Coming


Other Artist Opportunities

New Health & Human Services
Building in Salem Needs Art
Needed:
1. Artwork on paper, poster board or canvas, approximately 18” x 24” inches that can be framed.
2. Hand-written thank you
letters from people who wanted to express what services from the State of Oregon have meant to their well-being.
DEADLINE - April 14.

Sudha Ramakrishnan, 503-945-6937, sudha.ramakrishnan@state.or.us


 HAP 2008 Online Literary Magazine
Call for Authors / Call for Artists

Individual poems and artistic images are welcome for submission to the HAP 2008 Online Literary Magazine - http://HAP2008magazine.googlepages.com
There is no fee to submit to or to view this literary magazine.This is not a contest but an open submission to individuals in the spectrum or with disabilities.

POEMS should not exceed one printed page and may be submitted in the body of an email to TheFaceOfPoetry@mindspring.com.  
No attachment text files will be accepted or open. PDF files will be accepted.

ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS submitted as jpg files cannot exceed 2MG in size and may be submitted as PDF attachments to TheFaceOfPoetry@mindspring.com.  

No stamp mail submissions can be accepted.  Submissions must include the first name and last initial, age, and state of artist/author.  All submissions retain the copyright of the submitting artist/author.  Submissions will be accepted starting April 1, 2008 in recognition of Autism Awareness month, and will continue to be accepted throughout 2008. 

Visit http://HAP2008magazine.googlepages.com for more information. 
Contact TheFaceOfPoetry@mindspring.com with questions or feedback.  Looking forward to receiving your creative expressions.


 

EVENTS

 

Friday, April 11, the Autism Society of America, the nation's leading grassroots autism organization, the Autism Society of Oregon (ASA's state chapter), and Pump It Up, the nation's largest and fastest-growing franchise of giant indoor inflatable playgrounds for private parties, host "Bounce for Autism" from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at 9665 SW Allen Blvd., No. 110, Beaverton.
Read more here...


April 12
"Wonderland" the next Bridgeway House Players Production
1:00 pm at the Wildish Community Theatre on 630 Main Street in Springfield, with $5.00 admission at the door.

More about Bridgeway House events here...


April 13- ASO 6th annual Autism Walk-a-thon, Oaks Park in SE Portland. More info: www.autismwalkathon.com


April 18 - The Autism Ball Portland. Hilton Grand Ballroom, 921 W Sixth Avenue, 7:00pm - 12:30am Dinner, Drinks, Dancing & Silent Auction.
Black Tie Please - $150/per ticket (Inquire about discounts for table purchases) theautismball@hotmail.com


April 18 : Premiere! Variety Open Mic~Hosted by Larry Dobberstein of Community TV: Musicians, poets, other performers welcome Sign ups at 6 PM, Starts 6:30 PM at "The Moon Upstairs", the SAFE performing venue 225 Main St Springfield


Wednesdays, April 16 - June 25
4- 5:15 pm Cost: $35
Instructor: Alexis Reed
SPACE AVAILABLE!
A 12 week class offered at Hilyard
Community Center through Adaptive
Recreation.
Safe, Strong and Free is a co-ed
class for adults who have cognitive
disabilities and who want to learn skills that will help them to be safe in the community, to be more comfortable knowing and expressing their choices, and to develop healthy relationships. Class content will
include feelings, boundaries, physical and
verbal self-defense, types of relationships,
safe person, private body parts, types of
abuse, rules of touching, and the influence of media. For ages 18 and up.
For more information, call Molly
Elliott, 682-6307
Hilyard Community Center


Eugene, Wednesday, April 23, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Lane Community College Center for Meeting and Learning 4000 E. 30th Avenue, Building 19
YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND A DHS COMMUNITY FORUM Help develop the Oregon Department of Human Services 2009-2011 budget.

Every day in Oregon the Oregon Department of Human Services is there to help. Now we need your ideas about how to best prioritize and deliver the services your community receives — services that touch the lives of all Oregonians.
This spring, in a series of meetings across the state, DHS will host community forums to gather input from local stakeholders and families about how to best shape the agency’s 2009-2011 agenda and budget so that DHS and its local partners can deliver services in a manner that best meets each community's priorities and needs. We invite you to be part of that discussion.
Seven community forums are being held throughout Oregon. You are invited to attend any of the following events. You can download a copy of this schedule at http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/aboutdhs/
budget/09-11budget/index.shtml


April 24-25
Autism EI Conference, Medford, OR
Presentations include:
- Autism: How to Teach Parents Strategies to Enhance their Child's Social Communication Skills
- Building Listening Skills
- Putting Relationships in the Forefront - Understanding the Individual Differences and How We Can Support the Strengths in the Child
And many more. Info here...


April 25 Norm Kunc / June 20 David Pitnoyak / September 25 Cathy Ficker-Terill
2008 Oregon Trainings Series on Direct Supports This series of trainings will be targeted to "direct support providers and related professionals who support individuals with developmental disabilities, including independent and family providers."
The series will deliver six four-hour teleconferences to a network of host sites throughout the state and feature nationally-recognized speakers.
All trainings are from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. More info: www.directsupports.com


April 26
Sean's Run from Autism
Oaks Park, 7805
SE Oaks Park Way, in SE Portland at the east end of the Sellwood Bridge!
This is a 10K Run, 5K Run, and 5K Walk. All levels of fitness welcome!
Registration opens at 9 a.m. and the Run starts at 10 a.m.

For more information go to www.seansrun.org or call 503-351-9255.

This is a benefit for Autism Research and Resources of Oregon and our ongoing efforts to open the Oregon Autism Center!


May 3
Bridgeway House Cinco DeMayo
More info at www.bridgewayhouse.org

May 18
KindTree Autism Forum
"The Spectrum Speaks"

Stories by people with autism - and more. 1-5 pm Hilyard Center

Poster Here - More info Here


May 30-31, 2008
Oregon Disabilities
MEGA CONFERENCE

Educate, Empower, Inspire, Connect, Bend Or.
Join KindTree at this event - we'll be presenting on "How to create an Autism Retreat".
more he
re...


June 14 "Autism Artism 2008" Gala Opening Party, LCC Art Gallery, Bldg #11, 4-8pm. Come celebrate artists with autism. Free. More info here


 

July 4-6 Art & the Vineyard featuring the Autism Rocks Traveling Art Show, Alton Baker Park.


August 22-24 KindTree Autism Camp/Retreat. More info here.


September 4 - 7, 2008
National Institute on
Recreation Inclusion

Registration and Housing Open
April 2008
Visit www.nrpa.org/niri for more information or call 800.626.NRPA (6772)
Save the Date!
Hilton Eugene and Conference Center, Eugene, Oregon


October 22 - 24
Healthy Brain Conference
Key Impacts and Interventions
in Eugene, OR
SAVE THE DATE


ASO Respite Program Extended:
Take a Break on ASO
Read more here...


Asperger's teen pleads guilty to cyber crime

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE | Tuesday, 01 April 2008

A young Whitianga nerd with no formal computer training has confessed to cyber crime which has surprised international investigators with its sophistication.

Owen Thor Walker, who taught himself computer programming and encryption, was allegedly the mastermind of a "botnet" coding group said to have infected a million computers and caused millions of dollars of damage.

In Thames District Court today, the unremarkable-looking teenager pleaded guilty through his lawyer, Tony Balme, to six charges between January 30, 2006 and November 28, 2007, when he was aged 17 and 18 years.

According to police, Walker - known on-line as "Akill" - received just under $40,000 for his part in the attacks, which included a global adware scheme and the collapse of a computer server at the University of Pennsylvania.
Read more here...


 

Video Game Addiction Akin to Aspergers
Tuesday, January 08, 2008 | 2:15 PM | ABC News

Though video game addiction has yet to be accepted as a true medical disorder, that hasn't stopped researchers from presenting a study at the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference that comes to a rather unsurprising conclusion: people who are addicted to playing video games exhibit personality traits that are similar to those with Aspergers syndrome. I'll let the press release do a bit of the heavy lifting.

The researchers questioned 391 computer game players, 86 per cent of whom were male. They considered relationships between addiction, 'high engagement' and personality.

They found that the closer the players got to addiction the more likely they were to display negative personality traits. And that as players showed more signs of addiction they were increasingly characterized by three personality traits that would normally be associated with Aspergers, a variety of high functioning autism. These were neuroticism, and lack of extraversion and agreeableness.
Read more here


To begin living like you've never lived before, begin living like you've never lived before.

Mike Dooley, TuT.com

Thanks to all the folks who sent articles.

Thanks to you for listening.