The Reason For It All

SDASA Fall Conference and Support Group Meeting

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

New Book Examines How No Child Left Behind Hinders Teaching of Social Skills

Why Juice Plus+???

Take part in the ASA online art exhibit - upload your art today!

ABA tutoring

Will autism treatment cure my autistic child?

Best Intelligence Test for an Autistic Child

All Important Educational Decisions are Based on Test Scores

Toxic Metals: The Reason You Still Feel Sick

USAAA 2008 Autism and Asperger International Conference

Melaleuca, The Wellness Company

Greater San Diego SPORTS Festival August 2nd at Tierrasanta Park & Recreation Center

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

SDASA is happy to announce that registration is now open for our 6th Annual Fall Conference!

Don't miss this opportunity to hear:
* Nationally renowned Inclusion speaker Dr. Paula Kluth
* A fantastic Meet and Greet with Mary and Jerry Newport on Friday night, and
* A day dedicated to planning for Transition to Adulthood, featuring a keynote lecture by the Newports as well as a variety of other fantastic, practical speakers.

Click here for Event Flyer & More Information.

Please download flyer for more information and rates, and/or log on to the SDASA website to register (preferred) at www.sd-autism.org (phone-in registration available, # 858-715-0678)

Please contact Dr. Dawn Holman ( dawn@autismconsultants.com) or Bobbie Kohrt ( bobbiekohrt@yahoo.com), Conference Co-Chairs

SDASA-East County Asperger's and HFA Parent Support Group

This month there will be informal with open discussion. Look forward to seeing all of you!!!

· Tuesday on August 4th, 6:30-8pm.
· Java Mama Café 8250 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa, CA 91941
Sherry Soule

Most Heartwarming Fashion Event to Benefit St. Madeleine Sophie's Center, August 23rd, 10am to 2:30pm

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. 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. $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, and prices go up August 6th! Almost 500 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.

San Jose, CALIF.-A new book, "A Politically Incorrect Look at Evidence-Based Practices and Teaching of Social Skills: A Literature Review and Discussion," examines how the No Child Left Behind law hinders the teaching of social skills in school, with students with autism spectrum disorders most acutely affected. The book is the eighth on the topic of social thinking by Michelle Garcia Winner, who in April was awarded a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for her development of social-thinking curricula and for her clinical and related work with individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and similar disorders.

"In building on her seminal work in social thinking, Michelle argues effectively for an important and more thoughtful alternative to behaviorally-based social skill `training' approaches, which are so limited in honoring the complexity of individuals with ASD," said Dr. Barry M. Prizant, director, Childhood Communication Services and adjunct professor, Center for the Study of Human Development at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

Students who are challenged with social thinking and social skills include individuals diagnosed with autism, Asperger's Syndrome, nonverbal learning disorders and other diagnoses. The education of children both disabled and not is based on the assumption that all students enter school with basic social-thinking abilities in place. The concept of teaching social skills itself misrepresents the dynamic and complex process that is at the heart of social skill production. The fields related to education and counseling of school-aged students in general have failed to study the complexity of teaching social learning. Instead, they have applied behavioral teachings in an attempt to tidy up inappropriate behavior without exploring whether, and to what extent, weak social thinking caused the behavior itself.

No Child Left Behind mandates that schools use evidence-based practices in teaching students, especially students with disabilities. While strategies abound for teaching social thinking and related social skills, few, if any, meet the criteria for being evidence- based.

While public policy catches up with the ever-present and growing needs of students, the author seeks to offer new understanding for parents, teachers, service providers and administrators about effective ways to teach social thinking and related social skills.

The book can be purchased for $20 at www.socialthinking.com.

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.

I now have several families that are going to give the "Thins" a try. It will be several weeks before I know if this is going to work for others, besides Tony. As soon as I know anything, you all will know!!!

To celebrate the creativity and diversity of the autism community, the Autism Society of America is sponsoring a unique online art exhibition.

You're invited to upload art created by individuals on the autism spectrum to the online exhibit and help us raise awareness that people with autism can realize their utmost potential!

The ASA online art exhibition is just one of the ways we're working to help better the lives of those living with autism through new advocacy strategies to raise autism awareness, early diagnosis and intervention, and treatment guided research.

We look forward to receiving your art submission and to having you visit our online exhibition that celebrates how people with autism are special in so many ways.

Thank you again for being a friend and helping us to advance our vital mission to improve the quality of life for every American affected by autism, and their families.
Sincerely,
Lee Grossman
President and CEO

Hi Valerie,
Thanks for helping me with looking for care for Madi. I got several replies. I finally got care through the Navy for her. Now I have another question. Madi had her big eval at Naval Medical Center San Diego. I was told that she should have ABA tutoring. Can anyone out there shed some light on what it is and what I should expect? Madi is 6 years old and was diagnosed with ASD. She is high functioning with intellegence in the "normal" range. She does have issues with socialization and speech. Any info anyone can give me would be great. Thanks.
Madi's Mom....Penny

Question: Will autism treatment cure my autistic child?

There are plenty of autism treatments that come with claims for cure or "recovery," but what are the real odds of actually curing a child with autism?

Answer: The answer to this question is that autism, under almost all circumstances, is a lifelong diagnosis; however - and this is a critical point - people with autism grow and change throughout their lives. Many people with autism develop solid abilities of all sorts, and while all are likely to have some autistic symptoms throughout their lives, those symptoms may diminish over time.

For many years, child psychologists and other professionals have administered the same IQ tests to all children. Based on outcomes from those tests, many children with autism have tested as having low intelligence. Recent findings (and new tests), however, suggest that typical intelligence tests, based on information collected from typical children, simply don't apply to children with autism. Children with autism simply aren't typical - and as a result, most of the time, autistic children receive inappropriate IQ tests that may even be administered improperly!

All important educational decisions - eligibility, services in your child's IEP, educational progress - are based on test scores.

Changes in test scores over time provide the means to assess educational benefit or regression.

Assignment #5: Read "Tests & Measurements for the Parent, Teacher, Advocate and Attorney" -- three times. Use a highlighter. Make notes in the margins.

You must learn about tests and measurements so you can track your child's progress or lack of progress. If you do not learn tests and measurements, you cannot be an equal participant in planning your child's special education.

You may not think you can do this - but you can! You use statistics (numbers) to measure things and describe relationships between things all the time - your child's height, his weight, how many eggs to bake only six muffins, how much gas you need to drive to work ...

Remember, you will need to read the article three times. Be sure to follow The Parent's "To Do List".

Most people are absolutely clueless about just how toxic mercury is. It is toxic at one in one billion-part quantities. That is about the same concentration of one grain of salt in one swimming pool. That is why having mercury fillings is such a major challenge to your health.

Heavy metal toxicity, just like chemical toxicity, has become one of the most pressing health hazards of our day. Your body is assailed by chemicals and heavy metals on a daily basis, oftentimes from the most innocent-looking sources, from your everyday cookware to your child's rubber ducky.

It has now gotten to the point where babies are being BORN toxic due to the toxic load of their mothers. A 2004 study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that blood samples from newborns contained an average of 287 toxins, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides and Teflon chemicals.