The Reason For It All

Teenage Boys Detective Club

Crimson Center: Summer Communication Program

Autism Summit, July 29th

Juice Plus+

OPTOMETRY'S ROLE IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Groundbreaking Class Action Settlement for Students with Disabilities

CARES: LITTLE BUILDERS

$10/hr for participation in Autism Research; 13-17 year olds needed

D.I.R. (Floortime) Support Group Meeting, July 2nd in Solana Beach

Mom in Encinitas needs a social skills group

31ST ANNUAL SMSC "HAUTE WITH HEART' ON AUG 23RD

RDI Inspired Camp

Mom in North San Diego looking for support!

Empowering Through Information & the Fostering of Connections

I never endorse anyone or anything. Opinions expressed in what I send out, may not be shared by me. Everything is for informational purposes only.

People who "advertise" through this newsletter have never been checked out by me. This includes professionals and even people who are interested in babysitting, etc.

Please take the time to thoroughly check out anyone and everyone that will be working with or caring for your child. We are all sadly aware, through news stories and word of mouth, of people who pray upon special needs children because of their extra vulnerability.

Thank you,
Valerie Dodd-Saraf
My enewsletters are archived on my website:
www.ValeriesList.com

ASC's long-running TBD Club will be opening up to new members this summer. TBD is an activity-based social group that does different activities each week. Summer outings include Boomers, Miramar Speedway, picnics at the beach, Balboa Park and others.

WHO: High functioning children with autism or Asperger's, ages 13-17

WHAT: A 2 hour fun-filled session, with group activities, adult social facilitation and opportunities to make friends and participate fully in community activities!

WHEN: Wednesday afternoons, 4:30- 6:30pm, Begins June 25th and runs for 10 weeks thru August 27th.

PAYMENT: School district or private funding accepted, $45/session, with a minimum 7 of 10 week attendance policy.

Please contact Dr. Dawn Holman in the ASC office for more details. 858.272.2662 or email sam@autismconsultants.com

We are accepting registration for our summer communication program, which run July 1-31, 2008. Children who struggle with speech and language related interaction will engage in stimulating group activities with peers matched according to age and level of functioning. Adult to child ratio will be approximately 1:4, and each group will meet for two hours, one time per week for a total of 5 sessions (10 hours) in our Miramar office. An Internet blog will be established to inform parents about activities, goals and materials of each day, and parents are encouraged to observe through our one-way mirrors.

Augmentative Communication Groups
This program is designed to enhance the functional and recreational use of both high and low tech communication systems, facilitated by Eric Sailers, M.A., CCC, Speech-Language Pathologist and Assistive Technology Specialist.

--Sea Lions: ages 5-9 on Wednesdays from 1-3 p.m.
--Sharks: ages 10-14 on Wednesdays from 3-5 p.m.

Speech & Language Socialization Groups
This program is designed to maximize social language skills for verbal children. Activities will incorporate social stories adapted from Carol Grey, and Michelle Garcia Winner's social thinking curriculum. Skills highlighted include: language processing with peers, repairing communication breakdowns, establishing joint attention, understanding body language, initiating and maintaining play/conversations, perspective taking, expressing emotions, and problem solving.

--Minnows: ages 3-5 on Thursdays; time TBA
--Dolphins: ages 5-9 on Tuesdays from 1-3 p.m.
--Whales: ages 10-14 on Tuesdays from 3-5 p.m.


Please contact Crimson Center at 858-695-9415 or email karynls2@aol.com for more information.

Karyn Lewis Searcy, M.A. CCC-slp
Director
Crimson Center for Speech & Language
858 695 9415

July 29th, 5:30pm - 8:30pm
(Vendor Expo 5:30pm to 6:30pm)
Rancho Community Church's Family Life Center

Join us for our firt "Autism Summit" to be held on July 29th at the Rancho Community Family Life Center off of Highway 79 South/Temecula Parkway! The event will be from 5:30 to 8:30 and will feature local resources for families in the Temecula and Murrieta Valley that have been impacted by Autism. We will also have local businesses and city officials in attendance as we discuss the increasing number of children diagnosed with Autism in the Valley and how we as a community can come together to provide more local therapies and resources for all families in need.

If you are a business and are interested in more information about setting up a table or speaking at the even, please email Mark at mkanselmo@verison.net.

Why Juice Plus+?

The best way to answer that question, is to ask another. How do you think you would feel, how healthy would your body be, how much postive energy would you have, if you ate a serving of 15 different fruits and vegetables and 2 grains EVERYDAY?
That is what JP+ is and that is what it does.

Juice Plus+ provides the natural nutrition (millions of nutrients) of fully ripened, RAW fruits and vegetables in a capsulated form for adults and chewables and gummies for kids.

The cost for adults is $41.50 per month, or $1.36 per day. (Could your buy a serving of 15 fruits and veggies, and eat all of them, RAW for $1.36 per day?)

The cost for kids for Chewables or Gummies is $22.50 per month, or .74 cents per day? Could you get your kids to eat 15 RAW, fruits and veggies per day?

"Children are more harmed by poor diet than by exposure to alcohol, drugs and tobacco combined. This is the first generation of children expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents."
-Dr. David Katz, head of preventative medicine at Yale University.

"Over 70% of disease is preventable through good nutrition. Juice Plus+ helps the body muster up it's own internal medicine."
-Dr. William Sears, Pediatrician

"The American Cancer Society recommends 9-13 servings of raw fruits and vegetables every day. Only 10% of adults and 5% of children consume the recommended amounts. Americans don't have a vitamine deficiency; we have a whole food deficiency. We are lacking in the basic foods."
Dr. Delia Garcia, Radiation Oncology

"Juice Plus+ significantly impacts those aspects of physiology that cause aging and cause disease."
-Dr Richard DuBois, Internal Medicine

For more information about Juice Plus+ and/or purchase it; to review all the research that has been done on it; and to view what other health professionals say about it, please visit my website here. JP+ is certified GF/CF Dairy Free and Kosher!!!

Many of the behavioral characteristics of those falling within the autism spectrum involve the visual system. Poor eye contact, staring at lights or spinning objects, looking askance, side viewing and general difficulties attending are often symptoms of visual dysfunction. Thus, any individual with a diagnosis of autism, PDD, learning disability, speech-language delay, sensory integration dysfunction, Asperger syndrome, non- verbal learning disability or with psychological problems should most certainly undergo a thorough examination by a developmental optometrist.

New York City. Advocates for Children of New York announced today the groundbreaking settlement of a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of parents of students with disabilities in New York City's public schools.

July Summer Intensive has been scheduled!!!
July 21-Aug 1, 2008
Monday through Friday
9-11 am.

If you are interested in enrolling your child with ASD, age 3-7 CONTACT Courtney Olinger 858-444-8823 x1221 colinger.cares@yahoo.com

I am a graduate researcher at UC San Diego. I am working with Professor Karen Dobkins on a research project looking at visual perception in teenagers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). I am contacting you because we are looking to recruit teenagers with autism, and teenagers with siblings with autism for the study. I would like to request your help in publicizing the project, by sending out information (see attached documents) about the study to families on your email list.

What do the teenagers have to do?
Each subject will be paid $10.00/hour and will receive a small gift for participating. Participation involves two visits (each lasting 60-90 minutes) to our UCSD laboratory. They involve assessment of the child's cognitive development/general ability. The vision tasks will require the child to look at pictures of simple designs on a computer screen (e.g., moving lines), and press buttons to tell us the location and/or direction of those designs. We will also be asking parents to complete two questionnaires regarding how their child behaves in different social situations.

What do teenagers and parents do if they are interested to participate?
Teenagers and parents who are interested in our study will directly contact us about participation. Both parent and child will need to sign a consent form before a child can be enrolled in our study. Subjects can refuse to participate or withdraw at any time, and the subject's identity will remain confidential.

What does our study hope to find?
The objective of the study is to understand how children with ASD, siblings of children with ASD and typically developing children may differ in the way they see moving images and how that may provide clues about the neurobiological basis of autism. It hopes to find a new indicator for ASD, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

This research study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UC San Diego. You may contact them directly if you have any questions at 858-455-5050.

The project has clear potential to help advance our understanding of human vision and autism spectrum disorders. The teenagers and their families will thus be making an important contribution to the understanding of autism spectrum disorders.

If you have any queries please feel free to contact me at 858-349-6259 (cell phone) or email hkoh@ucsd.edu.

Thank you for your time.
Hwan Cui Koh (Miss)
Graduate Research Student
Infant Vision Lab
University of California San Diego
Cell Phone: 858-349-6259
Office Number: 858-822-0541

Hi Val -
Our next DIR®/Floortime open support meeting is this coming Wednesday, July 2, from 9-1030am at my building, 415 North Hwy 101, Suite A, Solana Beach, 92075. This one is a joint meeting for parents and professionals, which we put on the calendar at the request of parents last month. Any adult is welcome (sorry, there is no child care so please do not bring kids). No prior experience is necessary. As always it is great when people bring video of their kids to look at together and talk about how to improve regulation, engagement and relating. Also, check out the latest additions to circlestretch.blogspot.com many of which are getting a lot of hits, especially the slides from my grand rounds talk at UCSD last month and, with summertime here, the articles on facilitating peer relationships.

Hope to see you there!
Joshua D Feder, MD
Child and Family Psychiatry
415 North Highway 101
Solana Beach, CA 92075
tel. 858 509 0523, fax 858 259 8192

I have a 7 year old with mild Aspergers. Most of the issues are social - he just isn't 'clued in' to the unwritten rules of social interaction, and it led him to a point where he has no friends. I really want to get him help (BEFORE the next school year starts).

Any recommendations for me? I've seen a few ads for 'Social Skills Groups', but the ones I saw were all based in San Diego (I'm in Encinitas).

Thank you so much for any leads.
Stacey
WRIGHT2652@roadrunner.com

Most Heartwarming Fashion Event to Benefit St. Madeleine Sophie's Center

St. Madeleine Sophie's Center (SMSC) will be wrapping up the summer season in style with our 31st annual Haute with Heart '08 Fashion Show Fundraiser/Luncheon. Whether your fashion tastes tend toward classic, tailored, casual, sophisticated, or your signature look is one of timeless appeal, you'll see what's hot in haute and get a sneak peek at California Chic fashions. Over 700 guests are expected to attend the event being presented by Hai Elite, Carlton Hair, Sempra Energy, Sycuan Resort & Casino and Leadership Sponsor; San Diego National Bank. The popular fashion show, produced by KUSI's style guy, Leonard Simpson of Fashion Forward, will feature guest speaker Carol LeBeau, 10 News/ABC with runway models including San Diego community leaders and the students of St. Madeleine's in the sprit of this 'couture for a cause' event.

Honorary Hosts, Phyllis & John Parrish, have put together a stellar committee, including: People Magazine's Hottest Bachelor; Mario Lopez, Rana Sampson and Mayor Jerry Sanders, Sally Thornton, Joye Blount and Jessie Knight, County Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Pam Slater-Price, Reo Carr, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, Jeanne Jones and Don Breitenberg, Katherine and Julian Kaufman, Dee Amon, Valerie and Harry Cooper, Dede Carlson, Sheriff Bill Kolender, Virginia Monday, Barbara McCall, Dian and Admiral Raymond Peet, Dixie Unruh and Marilyn Miles.

The Sheraton Hotel & Marina is the model setting for this fabulous event to benefit SMSC's adults with developmental disabilities. Entertain friends, family, and business associates in style with an afternoon of fine fashion, fabulous food, and fun. The event opens with thirty boutique vendors featuring an array of specialty items such as gifts, artwork, jewelry, and the latest fashion accessories. You'll also have an opportunity to participate in silent and live auctions (with charity auctioneer Steve Hamann), bidding on luxury items including jewelry, resort stays, celebrity stylist beauty makeovers, spa treatments, dinners at fine restaurants and much more. Lavish opportunity drawings are not to be missed. If you've got designs on fantastic prizes such as signature fantasy gift baskets, don't miss your chance to enter and win. Opportunity drawing tickets are available at $5 each, 5 for $20 or 20 for $50; entrants need not be present to win. Everyone walks away a winner, knowing that you're helping the SMSC students and the wonderful programs that support them (www.stmsc.org) .

Don't miss out on what many call San Diego's most heartwarming event of the year. $100 VIP runway seating (limited), seating $60, Tables of 10 are also available. Your reservation provides access to the boutique, auctions, lunch, and fashion show. Hurry, this event is always a sell-out. Almost 200 tickets have already been sold!

To buy event tickets and raffle prizes, or make a Haute with Heart '08 donation that benefits the students of St. Madeleine's, contact: Nora Boswell, St. Madeleine Sophie's Center; phone: 619- 442-5129 (Ext. 3117) or e-mail: nboswell@stmsc.org . Tickets are also available on-line at www.stmsc.org.