August 2011

Networking News

UPDATES from the Autism Society of Alabama

Please see our calendar for a full listing of events.

Conferences

• The Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at UCDavis has developed a free, online training series called ADEPT—Autism Distance Education Parent Training Interactive Learning.  ADEPT is a 10-lesson interactive, self-paced, online learning module that gives parents the tools and training to more effectively teach their child with autism using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques.
• The North Alabama Medical Reserve Corps and The Autism Resource Foundation are hosting "Autism Recognition, Response & Safety," a training led by Dennis Debbaudt, and internationally recognized expert on autism and emergency services.  See the  Flyer.  See the Registration Form.
• "An Insider's Perspective on Autism and Asperger's Syndrome: Bridging the Gap Between Understanding and Intervention" workshop will be held in Birmingham on August 16th.
• Out-of-State Conferences:
  • TRIAD Families First Program at Vanderbilt is offering a free monthly workshop series.
  • The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is offering a free 2-hour workshop on August 27 to provide information on how to provide support and more inclusive opportunities for children and adolescents with autism and other developmental disabilities in religious education and worship activities.
  • TRIAD at Vanderbilt offers Para-Educator Workshops August 24-25 and August 31-September 2.
  • The Second Annual Disabilities and Congregation Inclusion Conference will be held in Nashville on October 11.

Advocacy

• The Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011 has been introduced to the legislature.  AutismVotes has put together information on how you can help make sure that this vital legislation is enacted before the original legislation expires September 30.

Grants

• Click here to see a listing of the location of library books sent to various locations around the state.  Every public county library system was given a set of books from the ASA and may be available for checkout.

Alabama Interagency Autism Coordinating Council (AIACC)

• The next AIACC meeting will be held August 3rd from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. in Montgomery at the Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) Center.  These meetings are open to the public.  Contact Caroline Gomez for more information ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
• Caroline Gomez, the State Autism Coordinator, has resigned from her position, effective August 5, 2011.  We will let you know more details about future plans as we move forward.  Although Dr. Gomez will no longer be in the role of State Coordinator, she will still be actively involved in the Alabama autism community.  We appreciate her great contributions over the past two years, and wish her and her family all the best.   See her letter.

ASA Outreach

• Thank you Networking Group Leaders who attended the leadership workshop in July.  We truly appreciated the opportunity to meet you and learn from you.  Forms from the conference will be loaded online soon.
• Welcome to new group leaders Tina & John Brasher of St. Clair County, Donna Jennings of Chilton County, Lisa Riley of Tuscaloosa, Sherri Killough & Gerri Taylor of Montgomery/Prattville, Amy Hand & Chris Willis of Florence, Bobbi Wallen of DeKalb County, and coming soon - Karla Battles of Troy!  Thank you for your commitment to your communities and families affected by ASD!
• The Neighborhood Cookout and Resource Fair at Railroad Park will be held Saturday, August 6th in Birmingham.
• The Children's Policy Council of Jefferson County will be hosting a panel focused on Autism on Friday, August 5.
• ASA is a member of the Alabama Respite Coalition and the Jefferson/Shelby County Sharing the Care, which will host an educational event for local legislators called "Awareness, Responsibility and Relief: Why Respite Care is a Vital Part of a Healthy Community on August 31.  We are excited to have a parent of 5 (2 are affected by ASD) present the dire need of improved respite services in Alabama for individuals and families affected by autism.

Fundraisers

• The 14th Annual FROG Affair will be held on October 7 at Workplay in Birmingham.

• A Clinical Research Project at Argosy/Phoenix is being conducted.  See more information.
• The University of California - Irvine is conducting an Online Parent Training Project.
• A study is being conducted called "Temperament-Based Parent Training for Addressing the Individual Needs of Elementary-Aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Children without a Disability: A Comparison Study." Click for more information.
• A group of investigators at The George Washington University are conducting a survey study on the response of individuals with ASD to various medications with the long-term goal of better matching medications to individuals based on their respective genetics or biological makeup.  Click for more information, to view the Patient or Parent-Guardian Survey or the Clinician Survey.
• The UAB Brain Imaging Research Lab is conducting a study and seeking participants ages 10 - 17 years with high-functioning autism and adults with autism
• Complete the IAN Elopement and Wandering Questionnaire to help researchers begin to document and understand elopement behavior in ASD.  This project is funded by the Autism Research Institute, Autism Speaks, and the Global Autism Collaboration.

Announcements

• ASA's Fall Family Camp is coming soon!   Camp FROG will be held at Camp ASCCA on September 16-18th.
• The school year is fast approaching.  ASA's Bama Hager has provided Tips for Transitioning into the 2011 School Year .
• ASA recently received a visit from Brian Jordan of Food Allergy Watch.  The website keeps up to date on food recall information and notifies members of recalls related to their particular allergy.
• "Ask a Special Ed Attorney!" James Gallini of The Gallini Group has partnered with The Alabama Autism & Asperger's Statewide Info & Support Network to create the group "Ask a Special Ed Attorney." Join this group to ask questions regarding your child's school system and IEP meetings or sign up for a training module on the IDEA and IEPs. Join today.
• The ASA has added a new website section for Training Modules and Resources containing links for various modules for parents and professionals.  Please let us know if you have any other resources you would like to add.

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