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.

Autism Community News  March, 2007 Silent Auction Luncheon April Fool's Day there's Still Time to Make Your Reservation! Autism Forum, April 29 Geri Newton on Sexuality Rick Newton on Autism Resource Center Discussion Autism Artism 2007 Gala Opening May 12! Art by people with autism: Notecards and More... Help Support Artists With Autism   Flash 1-07 / Flash 2-07 / Flash 1-06 / Flash 2-06 / Flash 4-06 / Flash 5-06 / Flash 7-06 / Flash 11-06 Flash 12-05 / Flash 10-05 / Flash 7-05 / Flash 4-05 / Flash 2-05 /Flash 10-04 Flash 5-04 / Flash 4-04 / Flash 1-0 A Letter From Far Away / Silent Auction Benefit Disability and the Arts / Betty Brefour / 100 Genes Oregon State Fair Chill Out Room / Trips, Inc / Forum Calendar of Events Greetings, There is still time to make your reservation for our Silent Auction Luncheon on April Fool's Day, the first Sunday in April. We'll have our silly fun, listen to great music from Dave Rogers on classical guitar, enjoy the April Fool's talents of Tony Diaz, master magician, eat some great food, and bid on some great stuff. It's gonna be great. This will be the best fundraiser of the season. You'll get great deals when you bid on nights at the coast from Driftwood Shore and Yachats Inn, Dinner with the Mayor at the Vintage Restaurant, three different massages, gift certificates for clothing, food, health products, and baskets of wonderful goodies. See the donors here. And come enjoy a great lunch and great bargains with KindTree. Please support the Art Show, the Autism Camp/Retreat, and all our other work. And you know we always have fun... Adults $20 - Under 16 and People with Autism $15. Noon - 3:30 April 1 Eugene Hilton 12th Floor Vista Room Reservations here. A Letter From Far Away Dear people at Kind Tree, my name is Anna Wille, I am a 27-year-old student writing to you from Hamburg, Germany, where I study English, Philosophy and Italian. I found your webpage on autism while I was searching for material for a short essay (about 12 pages in length) that I am writing for a linguistics seminar called "Exceptional Language". I was thinking about in how far the language used by people on the autism spectrum might be called "exceptional" and why this might be so. I see that you have a newsletter which features writings by people with autism,and I would be very interested to know if for instance the texts that go into the newsletter are edited prior to being published, and whether you could maybe forward me some information or contact details of the people who wrote them. As far as I have been able to find out (I know as yet very little about autism), the language used by people on the spectrum doesn't differ much from "normal" language in points such as syntax, grammar, morphology etc. Or is this because only "high functioning" people with autism write texts that are published? Do you know of any sites where I might be able to get an idea of the specific difficulties a person with classic autism has to face when expressing themselves in written language? This need not at all be a general description, one individual text by an individual with autism that manifests itself in their use of written language would in fact be more the kind of thing I'm looking for. It would be fantastic if you could help me with these questions, but also if not, I very much enjoyed looking at your site and wish you all the best for the future! Best wishes Anna Wille If you are an American with a disability pursuing a primary career in the arts, or if you have been deeply involved in supporting careers in the arts for people with disabilities: JOIN A "VIRTUAL FOCUS GROUP" ON DISABILITY AND THE ARTS! WHAT'S THIS ABOUT? We are conducting a research project based at the University of Illinois at Chicago called, "Experiences of Individuals with Disabilities Pursuing Careers in the Arts: Creating a National Portrait" funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (PS 04-01). We are gathering data bearing on two primary research questions: 1. What are the barriers and facilitators mediating access to careers in the arts for Americans with disabilities? 2. What are the social, personal, and economic outcomes of training and work in the arts for Americans with disabilities? WHAT WILL HAPPEN? Next month, we will open a 6-week e-mail discussion forum focusing on one question per week regarding careers in the arts for Americans with disabilities. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE? You are eligible to participate in our "virtual focus group" if you are age 18 or over AND you are at least ONE of the following: * a disabled or nondisabled resident of the U.S. with intensive involvement or experience in arts careers and disability. * a U.S. resident with a disability working in or pursuing careers involving the arts (e.g., arts training, administration, program development), or * a career artist with a disability in the U.S. HOW TO JOIN: For more information about participating, contact: Terri Thrower Graduate Research Assistant tthrow1@uic.edu Contact Ms. Thrower as soon as possible because the enrollment deadline is April 6, and the virtual focus group begins on April 16. Art by Betty Brefour. Nice. www.brefour.bravejournal.com www.noteworthycrafts.com blog.myspace.com/brefour www.myspace.com/brefour 100 Genes May Be Linked to Autism Washington Post Little glitches in the DNA of people with autism suggest that the disease might be caused by as many as 100 different genes, researchers reported yesterday. The small changes are not what people usually think of as genetic mutations but are called copy number variations -- extra copies or missing stretches of DNA. For instance, one child with Asperger syndrome was missing DNA from a stretch of 27 genes. The findings, reported in today's issue of the journal Science, suggests that autism spectrum disorder may involve 100 or more genes. The disorder affects one in 150 children. Researchers in the United States, Finland and Britain scanned the genomes, looking at the DNA of people in 264 families. They found numerous spontaneous mutations in 14 of 195 people with autism spectrum disorders compared with two of 196 unaffected people. Oregon State Fair Chill Out Room This year the Oregon State Fair is opening a “Chill Out” room to children and adults with disabilities who my need to take a break from all the excitement of the fair. There will be an agency information desk outside the room. We are looking for agencies who are interested in hosting the “Chill Out” room. Agencies who sign-up to host the “Chill Out” room will send a volunteer to let people in to the room and hand out information about their organization for that day. The current schedule for the Oregon State Fair Chill Out room and agency information table is: 10am to 6pm Friday August 24th – Monday August 3rd If you are an organization or agency who is interested in hosting the “Chill Out” room and an information table for a day please contact Kate Tarter. Ask The Expert: Jim Peterson, MS Q. I see that Trips Inc. offers a spend down option to pay for a vacation. How does a spend down work? A. This is a great service we offer that allows people to purchase a vacation package in a flexible way. Just select a vacation in one of our current brochures, complete the registration form, and pay with a deposit and installments, or with a full payment. Final/full payment is due 60 days prior to departure for domestic trips, and 90 days prior to departure for international, cruises, Alaska, and Hawaii. Please call our office if you have any questions. We are more than happy to help you in any way we can! 800-686-1013. Or visit tripsinc.com EVENTS IN OUR AREA Through March - Autism Rocks Traveling Art Show will be on display in the Lane County Courthouse lobby. Raising autism awareness whenever we can. Call to Artists reminder There's still time to be included in Laurel Hill Center's annual "One Night Stand" Art Show & Sale, Friday, June 1, from 5:30 - 8:00 pm. Join us to showcase your new work, sell older pieces, expand your customer base, and benefit the Laurel Hill Center Art Scholarship Fund. The commission structure is a 75/25 split (artist/LHC). You can get a form from gerrio@laurel.org. It must be submitted by March 31st to: 2007 LHC Art Show & Sale, Laurel Hill Center, 2145 Centennial Plaza, Eugene, Oregon 97401. For more information about the sale, please contact: Cathy Dick 541-984-3110. Sunday, April 1 - KindTree Silent Auction Luncheon! We had this event back in 2005 at the top floor of the Hilton Inn and it was a great success and lots of fun. Great food, good music, many wonderful items to bid on, special moments. This year its April Fool’s Day. We’ve put our youngest board member Max Lester in charge of special April Fools fun. You won't want to miss this! From noon - 3pm. You can make your reservations online. They are $20 for adults and $15 for children under 16 and people with autism. Make your reservation today. Your support is much appreciated. April 5, 7pm First Thursday Gallery Run - Artwork by people with autism. Hovercraft Gallery in the Pearl District, Portland. More here... April 7 The first Saturday of each month from 12 noon to 2pm members of the Asperger Syndrome community are invited to meet at Cosmic Pizza, on the corner Charnelton and 8th Avenue in Eugene. This group will be an informal gathering where we can enjoy the companionship of one another, and foster the continued growth of our Asperger community. April 10 Autism Family Support Group. the third Tuesday of every month, 7-9 pm at: The DaySpring Fellowship Church, 1580 River Road - Autism Training and Support April 14, 7pm. ASO Autism Awareness Night at the Portland Trailblazers vs Seattle Sonics. More here... (Password= Autism for discounted tickets) April 22, Sunday Annual Autism Walk-a-Thon Portland ASO fundraiser, 9AM, Oaks Park. More info here... April 28 Portland School of Autism“Semi-Formal Dinner & Auction fundraiser. Schoolofautism.com April 29, Sunday afternoon at the KindTree Autism Forum. This annual, free event brings together providers and consumers of autism services for a give and take about what is available and what is needed. Sponsored again this year by Doris Germain. This year we will open the Forum with a presentation on Sexuality and Autism by Geri Newton. Without a doubt the most accomplished expert on this subject in the state, Geri will share her knowledge with us. Following we’ll have our usual panel discussion format. Panelists will offer their experience and perspective to the question: What would an Autism Resource Center Look Like? What would we do there? What resources could congregate there? What do we really need? How would it work? It’s a good question to ask. Come join us – it’s free. Read about last year's forum here. April 29, Sean's Run from Autism, Autism Research and Resources of Oregon (ARRO) More here... May 5th Cinco De Mayo Silent Auction and Dinner For more information and other BWH events and groups, call Bridgeway House at 345-0805. Saturday, May 12, Autism Artism Gala Opening Party. 4 – 8 pm at the Maude Kerns Art Center Downtown Gallery at DIVA, 110 W Broadway. Special guests include Rep. Chris Edwards, Gordon Kaswell, and Her Royal Slimeness SLUG Queen Slugretha. There will be other guests, too, and music and eats and wine and, of course, beautifully framed, wonderful works of art by members of our Autism Community. This is simply the best way to support artists with autism right here in Eugene. Sponsored by GreyWolf Projects and made possible in part by a grant by Lane Arts Council with support from City of Eugene Cultural Services Division. The show will be on display from May 4 – June 30, 2007. See a slide show of Autism Artism 2006 here. May 15 & 16, 2007 Building Futures: Secondary Transition Conference Full Conference Sessions $99.00* professional $25.00* student/parent May 14, 2007 Pre-service on Benefit Planning/Work Incentives $25.00 Target audience is professionals, but all are welcome. Embassy Suites Hotel, Tigard, OR 97223 Keynote Speakers: Peter Squires, chair of National Youth Leadership Network Jonathan Mooney, author of “Learning Outside the Lines” and “The Short Bus Story” Terry Cohen, author of “Disabled & Challenged: Reach for Your Dreams!” This conference is for students and young adults with disabilities, parents and professionals. Pre-service will focus on benefit planning and work incentives. For detailed conference pricing and information go to the OrPTI web site at: www.orpti.org or call 1-888-505-2673, ext. 208. May 23-27 Adolescence and Adulthood Presentations at the AUTISM ONE 2007 CONFERENCE, , Chicago, Illinois www.autismone.org A sampler of Adolescence and Adulthood track presentations. And of course, we will be at the Art & the Vineyard event July 4th, at the Oregon Country Fair July 13-15, and our Autism Retreat is August 24-26. June 8, 2007 Moms Against Mercury (MAM) and the Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs (CoMeD), invite you to attend the most historical event of 2007, The Simpsonwood Remembered Rally, Atlanta, GA. This rally takes place on the 7th anniversary of the infamous, secret, Simpsonwood meetings, June 8, 2007, and is in support of the United Methodist Women Division's, (one million strong), conference at the Simpsonwood Methodist Retreat Center, to address the dangers of using mercury as a preservative in vaccines. United Methodist Women have established a legacy of advocacy for children and the goal of their event is to raise awareness in the faith community about the dangers of vaccines that contain mercury and to protect children from this toxin. In addition, the Women’s Division advocates for informed consent when mercury containing drugs or vaccines are given. More info here... This is a huge victory for our movement! This is the first time a global organization has decided to support our fight for our mercury injured children. You can read the Simpsonwood meetings transcript in its entirety on PutChildrenFirst.org April is Autism Awareness Month Mathematics Awareness Month National Poetry Month Panda Month Accessability Month Donate Life Month Send Tim $100 Month What Else Month?