The Reason For It All

Looking for caregiver for 27 year old

ATPF: Mentor Event at JCC Maccabi Cares Carnival

J. W. Tumbles in Point Loma

Why Juice Plus+???

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

Tattoos with a Purpose

Teacher's Grants Open August 15

Interview Participants Requested

How Adults Cope With Autism In The Workplace

SECOND SCHWALLIE FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Development of mental health first aid guidelines for non-suicidal self-injury: A Delphi study

Local artist with autism chosen as "Artist of the Month"

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

I am looking for a caregiver for my 28 year old son with mental retardation and autism after his day program hours. The job is available 2 days a week or 5 days a week. Please contact cjkaczmarczyk@san.rr.com

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

Our mission is to shape the minds and bodies of the future. We aim to do this by providing a welcoming environment to children of all abilities, where they can develop the needed social and physical skills to succeed. We provide a non-competitive arena for children to learn and grow. Families are invited to come in for a free introductory class to become acquainted with our program.

Our Saturday morning "Spectrum" Class runs from 11:30-12:30 and is designed for children ages 2-6. We are working with occupational therapists to ensure that we provide best suited class for your children's needs.

Our website is www.JWTumbles.com We can be reached by email at pointloma@jwtumbles.com, or called at 619-224- KIDS. We are located directly behind the Bookstar in Point Loma the intersection of Lytton and Rosecrans at 3125 Rosecrans St. Suite B. San Diego, Ca. 92110 . Sincerely,
Travis Taylor
Director

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

Our mission at Tattoos With A Purpose, LLC is to provide high quality temporary tattoos available both to consumers and retailers while providing the highest level of service and satisfaction to our customers.

Tattoos With A Purpose, LLC has been in business since 2004 and has become the leader in useful temporary tattoos.

Through the San Diego Autism Teachers Fund, NFAR assists educators by providing for the specialized needs of their students with autism. Grants of up to $1000 may be awarded for specialized educational programs, materials and equipment. The application period opens on August 15 and grants will be awarded in October for the 2008/2009 school year.

For more information and to download the application, visit www.NFAR.org

Dr. Bonnie Kraemer, a professor in the Department of Special Education at San Diego State University, is currently looking for families with a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) between the ages of 16 and 25 to participate in an interview as part of an Adult Transition Study.

The interview will take place in the family's home - or another location preferred by the family - and will last about 1.5 hours.

For more information contact:
Dr. Bonnie Kraemer
(619) 594-3492
bkraemer@mail.sdsu.edu

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ¯ Alex Ashkar is a model employee at the Bull Run coffee roasters. And he has autism.

"You know, its one thing to have somebody who works well, but it's also something to have someone whom you like," said Bull Run owner Greg Hoyt.

At Bull Run, Ashkar's autism is a non-issue. He typically works in the packaging department putting stickers on the boxes of coffee and taping them shut.

For Ashkar, finding meaningful work has been a lesson in understanding his limits. His first job at a local retailer didn't work out.

Arlington, VA, July 24-- When the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) first decided in September 2007 to begin a scholarship program available to individuals on the spectrum pursuing post-secondary undergraduate degrees or certification via trade schools or technical and vocational training programs, it never imagined that over 80 individuals would apply within the relatively short time frame. This year, that number has more than doubled to over 190 individuals applying for one of the five available $3,000 scholarships.

Of these five awards, OAR awarded two in the category of a four-year undergraduate college or university; two to individuals attending a two-year undergraduate college; and one to an individual attending a trade, technical, or vocational school to the following students.

1) Four-year undergraduate college or university winners:
Hannah M. Anderson is from Cortland Manor, NY and will be attending the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. She is pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering Technology and wishes to use this to advance the field of Robotics. Besides her love of mathematics, Hannah enjoys many activities both in an out of school including being a member of a local dance studio, a volunteer for the Amnesty International at her church, a member of the Leo Club, and the secretary of her school's Weather Club.

Jonathan Devon Spencer, from Palmdale, CA, will be attending the University of California, Merced, this fall where he will be obtaining his Bachelor's degree in history. After which, Jonathan plans to go on to receive a Masters and Doctorate degree in Education in hopes of becoming a history or elementary school teacher. Proving his dedication to the education of his peers, he assumed the role of Commissioner in a leadership and mentoring program called Link Crew. Jonathan also has extensive volunteer experience in his community, including volunteering for the Children's Planning Council Foundation and the Service Planning Area 1.

2) Two-year undergraduate college winners:
Hillora Mae Lang is from Hampstead, NC and will be attending Cape Fear Community College, working to obtain a degree as a Medical Transcriptionist. After which, it is her plan to continue her education and receive a Bachelor's Degree in writing. According to Hillora, this will help her to "accomplish my goal of writing books which will benefit everyone in the autistic-spectrum community and the world." Aside from her love of writing, Hillora has found satisfaction in caring for animals, and has dedicated much of her time as the volunteer coordinator for a feral cat sanctuary and serves as a co-chairperson for the Ruffian Foundation Feral Cat Sanctuary development committee.

Blake Moomau, from Annapolis, MD, will be attending Anne Arundel Community College in the fall. There, he will be working towards his Associate's Degree in mass communications and would eventually like to pursue a career in radio broadcasting. During his high school years Blake fostered his love of sports as he played on both softball and basketball teams and became one of his school's TV sports broadcasters on the daily morning show while working for the Bowie Baysox, a local minor league baseball team.

3) Trade, technical or vocational school winner:
Bradley Dale Sarko is from Burghill, OH and will be attending the Columbus Culinary Institute at Bradford School. There, he will be learning to do what he enjoys most: cooking. His passion for cooking started when he was only in middle school, and became clearer to him as he worked his way up to the position of General Manager of his school's restaurant. With this degree, Bradley hopes to be able to travel the world as a chef.

Congratulations again to Hannah, Jonathan, Hillora, Blake, and Bradley!

OAR would like to thank OAR Board member Ed Schwallie, his wife, Marge, and the Schwallie family for developing and funding this greatly-needed program. In addition, OAR is grateful to the reviewers that had the most difficult job of narrowing down almost 200 well-deserving applicants to five finalists. Last, but most certainly not least, OAR thanks everyone that donated to OAR's Scholarship Fund Drive earlier this year. It is OAR's hope that the number of awards given each year will continue to increase as awareness and support for this program grows. For more information on donating, please visit http://www.researchautism.org/support/donate/index.a sp.

ABOUT OAR: The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is a national, nonprofit organization formed and led by relatives of children and adults with autism and Asperger Syndrome. OAR is dedicated to promoting research that can be applied to help families, educators, caregivers, and individuals with autism find much-needed answers to their immediate and urgent questions. To find out more about OAR please go to: www.researchautism.org

Background
It is estimated that around 4% of the population engages, or has engaged, in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). In clinical samples, the figures rise as high as 21%. There is also evidence to suggest that these figures may be increasing. A family member or friend may suspect th