Need some help cooking GF/CF this winter? Check this resource out.

Karen Kaplan
Consultant
karensupportsu@comcast.net

Save the date for The Triennial Transition Conference, “Transition: Bridging the Gap,” sponsored by the Napa Valley Transition Task Force, Wednesday, January 13, 2010.

Great resource for families, residential schools, and homes.

Safe and Sound Program

Medicalert Safe and Sound Program

Karen Kaplan
Consultant
karensupportsu@comcast.net
415-497-3751

Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center has recently received a large amount of new ASD materials. Please check the list and contact Matrix if you are interested in using them.

The MAC Transition Sub-Committee will be meeting again on November 2, 2009 at OFI, at 2:00. All sub-committee meetings are open to everyone!

The sub-committee is finalizing plans for the GGRC Marin County Service Provider Fair on October 28, 2009 from 3:00-7:00 at the Marin County Office of Education, Hollis Hall, 1111 Las Gallinas Rd., San Rafael, CA. FREE IEP Transition Planning Workshops will be offered at 5:00 in English by Support for Families and in Spanish by Rocio Smith of SCDD Area Board 5. Don’t miss it!

The MAC Early Years Sub-committee is working with other early years service providers to provide developmental screenings for children at the following events for Binational Health Week!

Canal Health and Safety Day
Saturday, October 10, 200911:00-3:00
Marin Health and Wellness Campus
3240 Kerner Blvd.
San Rafael, CA

Verde y Saludable Novato
Saturday, October 17, 2009, 11:00-2:00
Marin Community Clinics
6100 Redwood Blvd.
Novato, CA

The Youth Sub-Committee met in September to review the review and identify gaps still remaining in our county in services for youth with ASD. We will address the following ideas at our next meeting, October 27, California Auto Association, 99 Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael, 10 to 11:30. Please join us to help prioritize our upcoming projects and make a difference for youth with ASD in Marin!

Possible short-term projects and goals:
• Work with Mike Gardner (program manager for MCOE) in developing an autism awareness training for the 22 teachers who attend his monthly staff development meetings.
• Ensure that the MAC (Marin Autism Collaborative) website keeps the ASD community aware of ways they can help support Health Care Reform and the Autism Task Force’s work on insurance reform.
• Develop a school age resource information sheet for physicians to use in their practice when supporting families and distribute to physicians in Marin.
• Develop a school age after school resource sheet/directory for families ( post on MAC and Matrix web sites).
• Once the POST-certified first responder DVD is finalized and sent to our county first responder trainers; develop ways to help support the choice of using this DVD to train our first responders in our county.
• Create one or more events to raise money to fund training programs for respite providers or para professionals or teachers on the use of effective curriculums for ASD.
• Explore ways of bringing “Autism: The Musical” to our professionals to help them not only understand characteristics of ASD but to relate to the challenges families face and the unique strengths and talents of these individuals.
• Explore ways of expanding the availability of books and curriculums on ASD to our families and professionals. Connect with local libraries and Golden Gate Regional Center. Create an event to raise dollars to purchase resources. Reach out to the community to donate books on ASD.
• Create an Overview tool on ASD to be used in one of the district’s mandated faculty and staff meetings. Connect with the Superintendents to make this happen in their schools. An event, a grant or sponsor may need to be secured in order to create the overview and implement.
• Create an event, obtain a grant or seek out a sponsor to help support the development and implementation of a respite care orientation on ASD. Work with La Chris Connection to make this happen.

Connecting People to Resources: An Information and Resource Fair for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, in San Rafael, on the campus of Dominican University, an 11 year old boy with Autism put on his volunteer badge and with a little support from a volunteer from Wells Fargo Bank walked from vendor to vendor (50 of them) introducing himself and requesting their business cards.

Jacob had his own business card collection but on this day he was collecting an additional card for a special drawing. With an occasional reminder to make eye contact before greeting someone, extending his handshake and saying thank you after receiving someone’s card, Jacob connected to over 100 people in the room.

Then with the same spirit, of Johnny Carson greeting his guests, Jacob announced the 4 door prize winners and raised both his hands over his head verbally cheering them for their success at winning the door prize.

Then there were the half a dozen teens from Autistry Studios, a non profit helping teens and young adults with HFA and Asperger become successfully independent by leveraging their interests and talent, eagerly explaining their artistic and creative constructions to the fair’s attendees. They were so eager to explain how they planned, designed and created these detailed miniatures in their workshop.

Finally there was Julia, an 11 year old student with Asperger, who gladly wore her volunteer badge and helped out in the child care room, playing with younger ASD children, whose parents or grandparents were attending one of the workshops offered that day.

Ten workshops, attended by a total of 123 participants, (parents, grandparents, teachers and colleges students) provided solutions to many core challenges facing children, teens and adults with ASD; sleeping issues, sensory problems, bio medical, the IEP process, special needs trusts and long term financial planning, preparing teens to work and playing.

To top that off students from Sonoma State University and Dominican University attended workshops and volunteered in fair activities. How perfect that our FUTURE teachers, therapists, administrators and parents were already learning about effective interventions for ASD.

The event was a success for so many and I am proud to have played a role in creating, developing and implementing such a beneficial event. The greatest gifts were the smiles on Jacob and Julia’s face, as they placed their volunteer badges around their necks and felt part of the community and the delight in the eyes of their moms.

by Karen Kaplan, Fair Director