The Reason For It All

2008 FACCT Conference - Registration is Open!

ATPF: Mentor Event at JCC Maccabi Cares Carnival

Flying can be a rough ride for autistic children, families

Why Juice Plus+???

Daysails in Dana Point, San Diego, San Francisco and Ventura

National Autism Association Launches New Safety Program; Provides Immediate Project Lifesaver Funding to Counties Nationwide

NFAR Awards Grant to COMPASS Family Center

Poway Man with Autism Named Top Fundraiser

Annual Ability Awareness Celebration

LOOKING FOR A CATHOLIC CHURCH near 4S Ranch

Financial Planning Tools for Families of Children with Special Needs

Special Education, You Can Do It!

U.S. HOUSE AND SENATE OVERRIDE BUSH VETO - MEDICARE CUTS STOPPED!

Monthly San Diego GRASP meetings and info

Melaleuca, The Wellness Company

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

The COMPASS Family Center at USD is pleased to open registration for the 2008 FACCT Conference, scheduled for Saturday, September 27th, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

To register online click here

Workshop topics are attached and a brochure with the full workshop descriptions will be available in the coming weeks.

TICKET PRICES:
$55 for professionals (includes CEUs)
$30 for general admission
$20 for students with valid ID

Pricing includes the cost of the conference, continental breakfast and lunch.

Keynote speaker Lee Thomas will also be available during the lunch hour for book signings.

If you would like to be an exhibitor at this event, please contact: slanglais@sandiego.edu

Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 1 PM-4 PM at the JCC La Jolla

San Diego JCC Maccabi Games will present to the San Diego community, FREE of CHARGE, the MACCABI CARES CARNIVAL, specially designed to host San Diego's "children at risk", ages 3-10 years of age. MACCABI CARES CARNIVAL, operated by JCC Maccabi teen athletes and complete with age- appropriate game booths and prizes, jumpies, obstacle courses, clowns and carnival refreshments, will provide a fun-filled morning or afternoon for your children.

ATPF will assign each autistic child a Maccabi International Athlete to play with at the carnival while parents meet with ATPF mentors. Spaces for children under age 10 are now down to only 20 - sign up now to ensure your spot!

View the flyer for more information.

Please RSVP to Dayna Hoff at daynahoff@cox.net or 619-980-8614 to reserve your spot.
website

With heightened security regulations and frequent delays, airplane travel can be an unpleasant ordeal for anyone.

For a child who becomes anxious in close quarters, may have trouble communicating and is sensitive to loud noises, it can be terrifying.

Those are common characteristics of autism, a developmental disability that affects about one in every 150 American children and one in every 94 boys, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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!!! Click here for info on ingredients for all the JP+ products.

Starting in September, I will be having Juice Plus+ In-Home Parties. It is a great way to learn more about good, lasting health and JP+. If you are interested in learning about JP+ as a home-based business, click here. Juice Plus+ and its' parent company NSA, are NOT Multi-Level Marketing Companies. 95% of the people who order from the companies are customers only. NSA has been in business for 47 years.

Juice Plus+ "Thins" and anxiety and OCD:
Since, giving Tony "Thins" everyday, starting just 2 years ago, with no other medication or change, I noticed that Tony was more relaxed. Less anxiety. And, even more remarkable his repetitive, obsessive behaviors dropped about 80%. Changes in his routine/schedule became much easier, new experiences were no longer hard. Repetitive behaviors/routines nearly disappeared. I have been also able to reduce his medications: Zyprexa, Celexa & Tenex.

Please think seriously about giving this a try!!! If you have any questions about the "Thins", please email me and if you would like to order them, click here.

Thank you all for the time we spent sailing together and for the nice notes I received from you. It makes it all worth it to see a smile on a child's face and to receive thank you notes from satisfied parents.

Heart of Sailing is excited to come back to California to sail in:
Ventura on the 30th and 31st of July
Dana Point from the 1st to the 5th of August
San Diego from the 8th to the 10th of August
San Francisco on the 9th of August

We are planning to come back to Southern California at the end of September to mid-October for more Daysails.

We are also planning a Fundraising Dinner at the Brussels Bistro in Laguna Beach at the beginning of October. Please Check our website soon for more information about it and to reserve your seat for an authentic Belgian experience.

I would really appreciate it if you spread the word around about our program and invite families you know that could take advantage of our Daysails.

Thank you very much, I hope to see you again soon,
George Saidah

NIXA, Mo., July 22, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ ----The National Autism Association (NAA) announced today the launch of a new program aimed at providing families and counties nationwide with safety tools for children with autism. The FOUND Program is the organization's third direct-assistance program, which will immediately fund $54,400.00 to provide at least eight counties with Project Lifesaver equipment and tracking watches.

NFAR recently awarded project funding to the COMPASS Family Center for the research and development of an Adult Transition Program to help support young adults and their families as they leave the public school system and transition to adult services.

Currently, the transition to adulthood is a complex and complicated process, and families often approach the secondary transition process with little information.

The objective of the COMPASS Family Center's Adult Transition Program is to help prepare families to successfully navigate the adult transition process. The NFAR grant will enable the COMPASS Family Center to host a series of instructional seminars covering IDEA guidelines and the roles of school districts, the Regional Center, and other adult provider agencies.

Click here to learn more about NFAR Funded Project

Poway resident Michael Alhadeff was honored at NFAR's Celebration Dinner for raising a record $19,000. While raising funds of this magnitude would be a challenge for anyone, it is even more remarkable considering that Michael is an adult with autism.

Michael was inspired to get involved with the Race for Autism both due to the physical challenge of the 5K Race and because he hoped to "help people with autism like me."

Michael began by making a few phone calls, which was a huge step for him and actually caused his mother to cry. He also wrote a letter asking for donations that was mailed to family and friends. And in only 25 days, Michael raised more than any other individual fundraiser has done for the Race!

Michael has been such an inspiration to us. NFAR is honored to have met Michael and his family and thank them for their drive and remarkable spirit.

Click here to learn more about Michael

McMillin Elementary (Chula Vista/South San Diego) needs volunteer presenters (who experience disability) to come and share about their lives with the students. Their Annual Ability Awareness Celebration, a 2-day event will take place on: Wednesday and Thursday, August 13th and 14th, from 8:30 am - 2:30 pm. If you can come present either for all or part of the event (or if you don't have a disability, but know of someone else who might be interested), please contact Diana Pastora Carson at Diana@AbilityAwareness.com or 619.370.2789. Topics of discussion will include: Disability History, Disability Rights, Accessibility, Universal Design, Assistive Technology, Attitudes & Assumptions, Respectful/Dignifying Language and Possibilities!

Dear Valerie,
Our son is 14 and has Asperger's. We live near 4S Ranch and we're looking for a church (preferably Roman Catholic) who has a program for kids with special needs. We've been moving a lot in the past due to a job, so it wasn't always easy to find a place of worship. Especially with our son, it was very difficult to meet the expectation of sitting still during a lengthy Sunday service. We were also never able to enroll him in a Sunday school or in religious services due to obvious reasons.

He is doing very well today and he loves going to a very inclusive/progressive church with grandma, unfortunately it's on the East coast. We wish that we could add the same to our lives, here, in San Diego. Does anyone have any info on churches that are familiar with kids on the spectrum?
Thank you so much!
Barbara
Please e-mail to: BarbCars123@AOL.com

The "Special Needs Planning Guide: How to Prepare for Every Stage of Your Child's Life" is written by authors who also have family members with special needs (John W. Nadworny & Cynthia R. Haddadis). Also included is a CD-Rom which contains a helpful Financial Planning Timeline and a printable Letter of Intent that lets parents communicate key information, concerns, and desires to future caretakers. The book is available through Brookes Publishing. For more information click here.