The Reason For It All

The 2nd Annual Wright Family Community Picnic!!!

Mom, new to Poway, needs help

Coachella Valley, ASA Meeting

Why Juice Plus+???

Ride for Autism!!!

Heart of Sailing Upcoming Daysails

San Diego County Chapter, ASA Events

CARES: Little Builders Schedule

Mom needs info about Speech Therapy

Parent looking for social skills match for 14 year old

Summer Camp needed for 12 year old

WashPost: Fathering Autism

A Problem With No Solution

The Help Group

Melaleuca, The Wellness Company

Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes: study

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

Benefiting The Autism Tree Project Foundation
Date: Saturday, July 12 2008
Time: 12 - 4 PM
Lunch served noon-2 pm
Location: Westminster Park, Point Loma 3598 Talbot Street
San Diego, CA 92106
Corner of Talbot Street and Cañon

It's Carnival Time!
"We are thrilled to treat the ATPF families, our friends & family, our neighbors, and the entire San Diego community to a fantastic, good old-fashioned, patriotic family picnic, packed with Red, White and Blue Fun!

This event, benefiting the Autism Tree Project Foundation, will include an autism awareness table, raffle with giveaways for families, picnic lunch, music , arts and crafts, a jumper and climber, and party favors for kids. Come join us!"

For more information call Karen & Tim Wright 619-405- 0176

Hello,
My six year old son Jayden has been diagnosed with autism. We've just moved into the country from Fiji and we live in Poway, San Diego. While in Fiji there was no intervention program, support group and school that could cater for my son, he was moved to three different schools who werent able to help him before we decided to migrate to the US. While in Fiji we took the services of a Speech therapist who saw my son once a week and he then started speaking.

My son currently attends Garden Road Elementary School in the Autism Day Class and is already showing marked improvements since he started school.

I need as much information as I can about autism and I'm also trying to find a support group close by.

Please send me information and anything on autism that can help my son.
Thank you.
Harriet Singh

"Meet the CVASA Board of Directors"
July 10, 2008
6:00 - 8:00 PM

Come meet our existing Board Members, as well as our two newly elected Board Members (to be announced at the meeting). The Board Members will be available to answer your questions, and hear your concerns. They will share with you their vision of the future of the Coachella Valley Autism Society.

Light refreshments will be provided.
Meeting location-Pump It Up, 82740 Atlantic Ave, Indio. I-10, exit Jackson, go North. Pump It Up is "The Inflatable Party Zone" where you can enjoy a private, indoor party with giant interactive inflatable play structures.

***This meeting will be simultaneously translated in Spanish.***

We are pleased to announce that we have added additional childcare spots! However, a reservation is still required. Please call 760-772-1000 to RSVP and to reserve a spot for child care. Your child can jump and bounce in one of the two playrooms. Please bring socks! Or, your child can join Teacher Theresa McFarland in the other meeting room for some Music/ Social Skills time. Please indicate your preference when you call to reserve. Childcare is limited to children with autism, and their siblings, ages 2 and up.

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 positive 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 even get your kids to eat 15 RAW, fruits and veggies per day?

For more information about Juice Plus+ and/or purchase it, please visit my website here. JP+ is certified GF/CF Dairy Free and Kosher!!!

If you have a JP+ franchise and are interested in selling it, please contact me.

It's time to start shining up those Harleys, Hondas, Kawasakis, and any other motorcycle you have tucked away in the garage. Ride for Autism has selected the Greater Long Beach / San Gabriel Valley Chapter of ASA as a beneficiary for their upcoming ride in August. Contact all your friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers to help support our chapter. The ride will begin at Laidlaw's Harley- Davidson in Baldwin Park and end up in Santa Ana at Original Mike's, an awesome biker spot. For those that don't ride, join us at the end of the ride for activities and lunch. To date John Schneider of Smallvillle and Dukes of Hazard and Kevin Sorbo of Hercules will be in attendance.

For more information go to http://www.rideforautism.org

Heart of Sailing introduces sailing to children, teens and adults with disabilities as a form of education and recreational therapy. Very safe fun for the whole family, too.

San Diego
San Francisco
Dana Point
Ventura

Monthly Family Pizza & Pool Party
July 11th | 6:00-8:00pm
Boys & Girls Club
4635 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA | 92117

Bring the whole family to enjoy a swim in an indoor heated pool. Lifeguards are provided. For safety purposes, no flotation devices or arm "floaties" are permitted. Please bring old cell phones and print cartridges which will be recycled, with the proceeds going to the SDASA. A special thanks to Aqua Pros for making this event possible! Please RSVP to info@sd-autism.org or 858.715.0678.

Save the Date: 6th Annual SDASA Fall Conference
September 19-20, 2008
Dr. Paula Kluth · Jerry & Mary Newport
Mark your calendars for this upcoming fall conference!

September 19th: focus on inclusion and mainstreaming for children with disabilities. Our guest speaker Paula Kluth, Ph.D. is author of "You're Going to Love This Kid: Educating Students with Autism in Inclusive Classrooms" in addition to her work as a consultant, teacher, advocate, and independent scholar.

She works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities, and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners. Her research and professional interests include differentiating instruction and supporting students with autism and significant disabilities in inclusive classrooms.

September 20th: Transition to adulthood workshop with Jerry & Mary Newport as well as a series of presenters. Topics will include autism in the w orkplace, legal services, special needs trust information, community/college living, and more.

End of Summer Family Party
Saturday, August 30th
Boys & Girls Club
4635 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA | 92117

More details coming soon! Last year's event included swimming, BBQ lunch, door prizes, and family fun for everyone. Both members and non-members are welcome. A small cost is payable at the event. Contact info@sd-autism.org or 858.715.0678 for more information.

play based, social skills group for children with ASD, ages 3-7

July Summer Intensive
July 21-August 1 (Monday- Friday) 9-11am

August Summer Intensive (dates to be determined)
Monday- Friday 9-11 am (for 2 weeks)

Next Regular Session (starts in August)
Tuesdays & Thursdays 4:30-6pm or
Wednesdays 3:30-5pm & Fridays 3:30-5pm

For more information contact:
Courtney Olinger
858-444-8823 x1221 or
colinger.cares@yahoo.com

Does anyone's child receive speech therapy from a speech pathologists at their home? If so, does the therapist bill insurance?
mggillespie@cox.net

I am looking for a 13-16 year old boy with HFA to attend a social skills or paired-peer group at Crimson Center for Speech & Language. Please contact me if you are interested at:
gris-mccormick7@sbcglobal.net

Hello Valerie, I want to thank you for all the information. My son Brandon is 12 and he has Autism. I am looking for a summer day camp for him and I don't have a lot of money. I am out of work do to surgery I had last week. Please let me know if anything comes to mind. I am in Oceanside Ca. Thanks again. Kris Torres

In Bethesda, a 15-year-old girl talks to her television set. Often, she seems more connected to the tube's ghostly embrace than to her own father, mother, brothers and sister. She flushes household items down the toilet. She has no friends outside her family. Rachel does not understand why other people might not want to talk about her beloved Japanese animation shows. She gets angry when anyone shows a lack of interest in the things that interest her.

Rachel has autism, and there are tens of thousands of children like her. Having a child like Rachel -- especially at a time of widespread fears that something in children's vaccines is responsible for surging rates of diagnosis in the United States -- is debilitating, dispiriting, demoralizing.

If I were an average American today, I might be worrying about the stock market reaching frightening lows. I might be worrying about the wildfires burning all across Northern California where I live. I might be worrying about the fact that I'll soon be without health insurance once more. I might be worrying that my business isn't generating as much revenue as I'd like due to the general state of the economy. I might even be worrying about the perpetual human tragedy that seems to be Africa. But the fact of the matter is that I'm not an average American, because I have a brother with autism, and when you have a brother with autism, your biggest worry, a fear that eclipses all others, that pervades every waking moment, and that never ceases, is probably something like mine: what will happen if the Cleveland Indians lose their next baseball game?