Minnesota Autism Mom

I am feeling sort of all emotional right now. I just got a chance to sit down to my personal computer after having some serious time away and here my little blog is featured on FB Autism Speaks fan page. I just can’t believe how many people said my story about going to Walmart made them tear up a little. That’s crazy. I thought I was the only one that was so sensitive to leave Walmart in a teary mode! So, if you are just discovering my little place on the net to mostly bitch – welcome! Please join me! Just don’t bitch about  me to me. I just don’t have the energy for complaints, but in all seriousness I would prefer to be writing to someone. Otherwise…why do I have a blog. So again, thank you.

Which reminds me – thank you random person on FB – I know my template sucks. I will change it the day I learn how. I am just super paranoid of losing my entries now.

I also don’t have time. I mean, really, I don’t. I shouldn’t be writing right now. I should be working on lesson plans and how my “Back to School” night is going to go down. This has been one hell of a week.

And I mean – hell. And then I don’t. Because I am very much liking so much about my new place of employment, but there is a hand full of things that are so different from working in a district (ok, public school) that I didn’t expect. I couldn’t have imagined to ask and now I wouldn’t dream of walking away at this pt, but yikes. Then there was the total disorganization piece. Having to ask for w2′s and keys, etc. On top of being required to attend workshops every second….and then let’s remember I have to leave at 4 because I live an hour away from my job. I have a child that is at his grandma’s and she is not interested in taking care of him until 8 every night. So the luxuries of being a motherless, husbandless woman/days are over. Really over. I didn’t notice the last time I started a new teaching job because I didn’t have these 2 essential humans in my life and I was not a homeowner. Things have changed. Oh, and let me add, most of my co-workers are neither married, have family in this country, friends, let alone a toddler (w/ special needs).

*shoulder shrugs* I was at work until 7:30 yesterday. Yes, that was a Friday night. Then I went a teacher store to pick up room decorations. So I guess I got home at 9. I didn’t even get to see my boy…at all…yesterday. I cried last night. I let it all out on hubby. I needed him to know where I was at mentally. And about 5 mins ago I realized I am probably either PMS’ing or about to next week. SWEET!

So one week until kids return to school. I am far from ready, but if they came tomorrow I could handle it. Staying late did help, but I am in a serious mood of “this kind of sucks to have to work again”. This past year went by so fast, it’s crazy. I played too much Mafia Wars. I suck.

Eh.

One day at a time. I know. I am just saying. This week flew by and I didn’t feel like I got done all that needed to be done. Now I have 4 days to Open House and my to-do list isn’t getting any shorter any faster. So I guess I need to go do something more meaniful than this!

I don’t prefer to shop at Walmart. So these recent FB postings (from various sources) telling me to boycott Target because they gave some money to a politician…is not going to sway me from my beloved Target.

But that said, I still ended up at Walmart today. I wanted to see if they had fall flowers and any heavily discounted flowers. The answer is no. It was a waste of our time, but it ended up being one of the more interesting trips to the W.

My son was wearing his Autism Speaks Walk shirt from last fall. This young employee was standing in front of the carts and he was clearly reading my son’s shirt and not moving. Something about his inability to notice I was waiting for him to move + reading made me realize immediately what I knew might happen letting my son leave the house in that shirt. It wasn’t a bad thing, it’s just a poster board of “my kid has autism”. Something in his inability to do these 2 things simultaneously or his non-verbal told me immediately not only were we going to discuss my son’s ASD, but that he was going to say he has ASD too. And I was right because under the very loud fans I heard him sort of ask if he has autism. And then realized, I have never discussed my son’s ASD w/ a person w/ ASD. I wasn’t nervous or anything, I just wasn’t sure what to expect. And it ended up being so sweet. Like seriously, tear jerking sweet. This young man was so interested in my son. I know he wanted to tell me everything about himself. I think he wanted to tell me not to worry. He wanted to fill my head w/ advice. He wanted to know my son. He seemed to be watching him to see what he was like at 3. He was looking for answers and he wanted to give some to me too.

He told me about Fraser and going to some sort of social group once a month and being picked on growing up in the south. I have never learned so much about a Walmart employee and never before in such a short time.  He watched my son push around a regular sized cart. It is awkward and funny to me because, very recently, I am not allowed to help. My 3 year old shoves my hands off the cart. It is so very clear. MOM, I can do this, stop helping! But, he really can’t and I have already learned how to direct the cart quickly so he doesn’t get a chance to shove my hands to the side. This is cute because he’s 3. I love that he is growing into his independence.

And that was the thing about this young man at Walmart. I was so proud of him too. I wanted to tell him so, I bet his parents are so proud that he’s working and seems so bright. But, I didn’t because I don’t know him or them, but I just felt they better be if they are not. So I was proud of him, just in case.

He gave my son candy as a trade for the cart. It hardly worked, but I appreciated the young man reminding me to help him find his strengths and that he did a little parenting 101 bride to get the cart from him.

My heart was full as I walked out w/ my little man. I felt so glad this exchange went well. It was so interesting to watch him watch my child. I told him I was happy to meet him and I wished him well. Had we not been at his place of employment, I would have spent more time w/ him. I would have let him really tell me whatever he thought I needed to hear. I hope he knows I appreciated it. I tried to show him that he did not over step any boundaries, as I saw him so carefully planning out his words.

I am curious if you have had this experience too. How did it go? How did the adult or teenager engage your child or you? Was it awkward? Feeling like you might say something offensive, etc? Or was it sweet and appreciated like it was for me today?

It’s Tuesday, which means I have time to sit in front of this machine for longer than a minute or 2. I was just looking at photos from Loving Photography of the 5K last weekend. It surprises me that I teared up. Seeing all of the love and support for this disorder. There are moments like this that I am occasionally reminded that some people “get it”. (especially after reading an article with word choices like “confined to wheelchair”).

I am going to garden once I get up. I am not going to say I am looking forward to it because unfortuantely in my enthusisam for completing my yard; I have completely over done it. Now what was turning into a happy little hobby has turned into a major chore. A chore that means I basically need to neglect all other fun and not so fun stuff so that I don’t lose plants I have been baby’ing since March and purchased on May 7 at the State Fair. (oh well)

As for my son, the reason I made this blog, he is doing just fine. Lately words or at least what sounds like words have been emerging like they have never before. But, I realized that again, the autism or whatever it is, does not give him command over those words. I have a video of him saying what sounds like “I love you” and even “I love mama” (which was not prompted) and I really haven’t heard it since. He calls everything “mama” because that is a sound he can easily make now. It doesn’t mean he’s labeling necessarily, I think he can just say it. I swore he was trying to say “banana” the other day, but realized it was really “mama”.

Sometimes this progress still comes with a price. To see how much work it is, not just for him, but well – me to get him to speak is sometimes a bit much. It’s hard for me not to reflect and wonder how hard everything is going to be forever. I get confused about his age and how that might be a factor in his learning too. I never could understand how hard it is for some people to learn or do things in general until I had my son. It’s very humbling. It has made statements like “all kids like x or y or z” make my blood boil now. I realize that we are all not made equally and we ALL cannot be put into neat little categories that we all understand easily.

I read the other day “the more I learn about autism, the less I understand it”. I thought all of the reading was helping me, but I agree with this person. What is there to understand? I have no idea how his brain works. As his 3rd b-day creeps up on me, I have realized that he is much more affected by his disorder than I could see before. This does not mean I don’t have hope, that I am not going to try to help him with every little thing in this world, it just means that I am finally able to see a little more clearly what this word autism means for our son.

Which reminds me – I need to call the Alexander Center now and stop writing to myself.

I have been meaning to write for some time. I see people are registering and I have no idea what that allows you to do, but thanks for those of you that are interested in staying in touch.

I am just going to jump into my current issue here. I think after my recent harsh social encounter, it left me angry (of course), but I also heard the person. I heard her say that I didn’t owe an explanation to anyone. That I can just be. It was SO incredibly hard to hear the message when the person didn’t attempt to sugar coat it, but other people have said something similar. This message adds to my anger and my complete and utter devastation of “this is happening to you, not me and I do not want to be bothered with autism”. I am not sure if that is accurate or not, but until recently that is how the “stop talking about autism” message was getting to me.  (I am sorry, does this make any sense?)

The other feeling I have been contending with (that is ultimately the same topic) is a desire to not have neighbors and family members I haven’t seen in over 6+ months have nothing other than autism to discuss with me. In the last week or so, every time I see someone, they want to discuss HBOT, MN health insurance, or this fascinating documentary on autism. Each encounter has made me squirmish. I respect that each of these people are dealing their own stuff (in regards to ASD). They are also trying to find a common topic and obviously the kid is the thing that now is my common bond to the world (why does this happen btw, I was a person without a child no more than 3 years ago?).

So there it is – on one hand, when I see people , I do not know how to avoid the A topic because this is my son, he is currently my life. I live and breath him. I have dove deeply into a sea of information surrounding this topic. Trying to find our families voice in it all. Where do we fit into this mysterious disorder? I have educated myself on “the system” and fill out paperwork like it’s a full time job and I shuttle him around to various appts like he’s a teenager in a few sports leagues. It’s nearly impossible to act like he doesn’t have a disability because the disability has filled nearly every moment of our day. And that’s ok, I am ok with all of this (Ok, most of the time, don’t let me reflect on it too long).

On the other hand, because he is my son, and the people in our lives all know he has ASD, they want to discuss this and I think it’s unneving me because it doesn’t make me feel “normal” anymore. I know not to be a jerk, I know it’s not my job to discuss the details of the disorder, his preschool, etc. , but even as I try to politely change the subject I am left wondering —”why I have to do this with each encounter”?

I am in a new stage with our family. I want normalcy now. I want my neighbors to tell me about a new book, movie, or a plant they are dying to plant this year. I want my family members to do the same. I don’t want everyone to feel that we must discuss autism. And I most definitely do not need to be educated on the various treatment options MIL!

I get that if any of them were reading this, that they would be saying “what the hell?!  one day it’s all you want to discuss and the next day it’s not”. Well, too damn bad. I am in a new stage. A new stage called I want to just be a mom to a great kid. I want to focus on the good and not the bad. I want to discuss this on my own terms.

I was discussing this with my mom. I was crying and she was surprised by my tears. It was hard for me to say that I can’t believe how complex all of this has been. I can’t believe that every part of my life has been touched by this disorder. I am literally sort of stuck right now in these social situations. Even when others haven’t brought up the A word, I don’t know how to talk to them without bringing it up in some aspect and it drives me nuts. I am so worried that we will be the family that people will avoid, but I also know that as I realize I am in a new stage…I should ultimately be more fun, silly, and laid back. That as I con’t to think about this,I will find a way to talk about my son without making us different and challenging. I will figure out what to share and what not. Ultimately I wish I had a mentor. I wish I could watch other families in these moments and see how they handle the questions, the well-intended but rude as hell comments…etc. Just another example how I have to fight hard against all of these feelings so that I do not lock myself in this house and avoid the world. Because, honestly, after this month…it would be so easy.

Events

Informal Opportunity to Discuss Supplemental Needs Trusts and Guardianship

Meet Amy Dawson at a Free Film Screening of Autistic License for information about supplemental needs trusts, guardianships and estate planning issues of concern to families who have children with disabilities. Come chat during intermission!

Date: April 13
Location: Eden Prairie High School Auditorium
17185 Valley View Rd, Eden Prairie, MN
Time: 3:30-8:00 pm
For more information, and to register to see the screening of “Autistic License,” go to: http://edenprairie.registryinsight.com

Panel Discussion on Autism

Amy Dawson will participate in a Panel Discussion on Autism, Sponsored by the Eden Prairie Committee for Disability Awareness and others.

Date: April 16
Location: Eden Prairie City Hall Heritage Room
8080 Mitchell Rd, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Time: 7:00-8:30 pm
For more information go to: http://edenprairie.registryinsight.com

Presentation on Special Issues in Estate Planning and Guardianship will be offered twice during April:

Amy Dawson will explain how a supplemental needs trust and specialized estate planning can help you ensure that your child’s guardian will have the financial resources to take care of your child. Learn why failing to plan for the future can disrupt just about every aspect of your child’s life. This information concerns individuals on the autism spectrum regardless of age. The need for guardianship and how to become a guardian will also be covered.

Date: April 26 Location: Walker-Hackensack-Ackeley High School Auditorium
301 4th St. S.
Walker, MN 56484
Time: 7-8:30 pm
Sponsored by PAWN Special Education Cooperative and HOWA Family Center
Contact: Holly Nelson, hnelson@wha.k12.mn.us

Date: April 28
Location: Wayzata High School
4955 Peony Lane North
Plymouth, MN 55446
Time: 7-8:30 pm Sponsored by ANSWER parent support group
Contact: Kathy Hoffman at markkathyhoffman@msn.com

Presentation: Supplemental Needs Trusts and Guardianships

Date: April 30
Location: Autism Society of Minnesota Annual Conference
Double Tree Hotel, 1500 Park Place Boulevard
Minneapolis, MN 55416
Time: 3:00-4:15 pm
Register at:www.ausm.org

This is becoming a hole to no where. I can’t fully enjoy quiet journally to myself because I know I put the link of facebook (amongst a few other places). I also know a few people have said, I read your blog, I just don’t have to time to comment. (which is fine, of course, I just don’t know who my audience is (if any!))

Hint, hint – just say hi in the comments if you just read this. thanks

As a personal update, I think I finally made a decision for my son’s programming. I am so tired of asking myself where to send him this fall. There is one place that is FT, but it’s not verbal behavior (VB/ABA), so we don’t know if we like that. Then there are 2 places I am quite interested in, but neither takes MA/TEFRA and I am not getting MCHA when there are other options for day treatment. (Plus, both places are working on getting MA, so that’s a wait-and-see thing).

The reason we didn’t want to send him to the place he goes right now all day, was the lack of outdoor facilities, but it finally clicked in my little head – but, he doesn’t need to go outside in the winter! So I think, for now, our plan is to take him where he is FT this school year and see how it goes. Then in the summers, I am hoping he can go less or back to PT so we can still have a normalness.

I am so happy to have made a decision. If the school doesn’t like this idea, then we are back to where we started. But, still…I think we’re good now.

Plus, school has been incredibly receptive to making changes.

I have some links I want to share. To go along with this random post…

Finding therapies in MN

Minnesota Yellow Pages for Kids – great site with lots of therapy, etc options in MN. Much broader than what I have posted before.

Minnesota On-Line Special Needs Directory

Speech therapy related Links

http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/

http://asktheslp.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html

http://www.speechtherapyweb.com/

http://teachmetotalk.com/2008/07/15/discover-the-best-approach-proven-to-teach-your-toddler-to-talk/

http://www.speakingofspeech.com/

http://www.talktools.net/

PECS – free pictures

http://trainland.tripod.com/pecs.htm

http://www.dotolearn.com/

http://abaresources.com/free3.htm

http://books.google.com/books?id=Dhp67nHdUs8C&dq=ideas+teaching+teacher+about+a+special+needs+child&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=JBqQS_STGYG6NfaFyZ4N&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=12&ved=0CD0Q6AEwCw#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Random good stuff to look at

http://sites.google.com/site/autismgames/home

http://www.tinsnips.org/index.html

I guess I am a busy lil blogger today. I just read this story and I didn’t want to comment because I don’t want to sign up for another website. But, dang…my son is not even 3 and I couldn’t think of a moment. The only thing that comes close is a series of concerns that were not really validated until he was diagnosed with ASD last April.

Even when I was told he was developmentally delayed by the neurologist when he was little over a year, I was like – no shit, but doesn’t he have ASD? He said no, no he would be able to tell and this kid doesn’t. (I am still rolling my eyes)

My son concerned me when he was induced 4 weeks early, when we took him home with a billy rubin light (for jaundice), never latched well and I gave up on breastfeeding sadly, and when he didn’t roll over until the last possible week that wouldn’t be considered late. Sometimes I thought about autism, itself, when I would pick him up from my mom’s and he wouldn’t make eye contact with me. I am a first time mom and I knew he was a pretty serious lil baby, but books told me that children are all different. A serious baby doesn’t mean anything (really?) according to those baby books. In retrospect, his lack of interest in social games was obvious and so was his lack of eye contact…but, not real obvious because no one started to ask questions until his first b-day. That’s when I got serious about the questions too.

I will never forget picking up my son from my mom’s on the day we had our one year pediatricin visit. By this time I knew the drill at the office. For us, maybe or maybe not do some shots, discuss development, etc. I borrowed my mom’s laptop because I had a lot of questions and needed to know what was really worth bringing up to Dr. O or not.

I pulled up this AP site. I started to take notes. Go on, look at it. It’s a very long list for a one year old and as I started to write down all that he cannot do…I finally scroll to the bottom and read this -

• Does not crawl
• Drags one side of body while crawling (for over one month)
• Cannot stand when supported
• Does not search for objects that are hidden while he watches
• Says no single words (“mama” or “dada”)
• Does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or shaking head
• Does not point to objects or pictures

I guess that was my moment. My son didn’t talk, he didn’t crawl, he didn’t point or use gestures…you know what? He still doesn’t and he’s over 2.5. Ok, that’s not fair…but, sort of it is. Those bullet points are the big – bring this up to your dr stuff and even if I hadn’t read that – I think he would have been concerned at that pt too. And that’s when it started.  It was the most depressing summer of my life. I didn’t do right by him. I was in a depressed daze. I didn’t tell anyone how worried I really was (well, ok, I did, but not to the level I needed to at the time). I remember just staring at him as he would play with the same toy, the same way, over and over. I didn’t have the skills or resources to know how to connect with him, to get into his world. He was a baby… and it wasn’t that interesting of a time (or so I thought). In fact, I sort of disliked being alone with him for long periods because it would drag on and on as he would turn a train over to look at the wheels and hit the same music button. It was so boring at times. And that’s because he wasn’t progressing (well, not quickly).

That fall, he did learn to walk (around 17 months) and just recently he is much more willing to go into that crawling position, but not really crawl.

He does not talk, but his vocalizations have dramatically increased since we started ABA/VB therapy. He even sort of gestures and shows you what he wants non-verbally. This is a huge change from a little boy that did a lot of crying and fussing. In fact, this is partially why I am so pro-ABA. Some how, some way, a lot of those behaviors/frustrations have gone away. I don’t always know what he wants, but I would say I do most of the time. He goes to the fridge to drink, the pantry to eat, and will even lead you to the stairs to show you it’s time to go change his diaper. I am still eager to hear his real voice, but since we have worked out a clearer system, it’s not as dire as it use to feel.

Back to my original thought, there really wasn’t an exact moment even though that visit to the dr made me realize that he was really behind. Because Dr O didn’t confirm my concerns, his neurologist wouldn’t confirm my concerns, it just made it really confusing and more emotional. When our Neuorolgist wouldn’t confirm a real diagnosis, Dr O knew I was on to something and sent me on to see a developmental ped and that is how I got the real answer.

Sometimes, I still hold out hope that it’s not ASD, it’s a sick little game I am playing. My husband doesn’t do as much as I do. As much as I thought he was in severe denial, he was, but it passed and now he doesn’t seem to play games like this. For example I was hoping once he got glasses, that his ASD symptoms would go away (hopefully) completely. Of course, it wasn’t that simple.

As another digression, I  have been taking our son to the eye dr since 4 months old. I knew there was something wrong with his eyes, but they said they couldn’t see it (lesson – take child to pediatric specialist, not generalists). So we would take him back every few months – nothing. We got the Dx and still eye issues…whatever, but last summer is eyes were getting worse. They were crossing constantly. I felt so bad for him. What could be wrong? Then I read a really good article about ASD and sight and that made me get a new eye dr. Fianally, last Sept Dr H saw what I saw. She said he is pretty near sighted. By Nov, with many an ABA therapist – he now wears his glasses and there have been huge changes in him. He no longer looks thru you. Take off his glasses and it feels like that all over again. His eyes cross. He really needs those things. But, it’s not like it was a magic wand. It has helped, but not over night and not in all of the ways I imagined for him.

To wrap this up, I am taking him to the same dev. ped in April to follow up. I am taking him to the eye dr for another follow-up tomorrow. I am anxious to talk to the dr about how his delays could be related to his lack of vision.

I didn’t keep him on the vaccination schedule, I am an educator, and I thought ASD was one of the worst things anyone could tell me about my child. Sometimes I can’t believe the sick irony of how much I worried about having a child with ASD, but I also know being educated on the red flags and working with a variety of students really helped us speed up the process to get him the help he is already getting before the age of 3.

I am curious if you knew in your heart the exact moment you knew your child had ASD? Is there a moment like the previous blogger wrote? Or do you think it’s more a series of events that helps you realize something is going on? I am constantly amazed by other people’s stories. If you have the energy – I would be interested to hear yours too.

It’s obvious my son is giving up naps, but at the same time, if I wait until 3:00…he will nap. (I just don’t know why any more)

The school people just left a little bit ago. We are in the process of getting him evaluated for 3 year old services. Ugh…more testing, testing, testing. I think it’s clear that he has ASD and qualifies. I just hate “the system”. His OT, speech, PT, now the ASD specialist have bounced through the door in the last month. They all know him, this is so stupid.

On a different note, yesterday I saw my next door neighbor. I don’t think she knows about my blog, so I will speak honestly (and hopefully not regretably) here. She has MS. Something she told me and some other female neighbors after another drunken neighbor and I sort of forced her to tell us what she was hiding. She acts like it’s no big deal. I hope she is right. Regardless, I feel connected to people with MS and other diseases/disorders with no known cure. MS is just as mysterious as ASD and so I feel that she gets us. After speaking to her a few weeks ago, I am not sure that is the case since her MS was not obvious and signs of it are just now starting to become apparent.

Yesterday she said she finds ASD fascinating and thinks there must be a positive side to ASD. I didn’t know what to say at first. My first thought is yes, but then I wasn’t sure still what to say. I look down at my toddler walking in front of us. He keeps checking in with us. Making sure we are walking along side, he is playful and curious. I think if she would have been anyone else I would have felt angered by the question. I would have pointed at him and said “really, look at him…there are  a million positive things about my kid, ASD is just one aspect of him (granted a big piece)”. But, I didn’t get mad. I am tired of being angry anyway.

I decided to not discuss my own child, but let her talk and the only piece I contributed before changing the subject is that of course there is a positive. Many of the genisues of our time had ASD. From Einstein to Van Gogh, a bunch of other famous people, these people have changed the human experience for the better.

I decided to research other positive aspects of ASD today. My child is generally a happy little guy. He does not publically stim and does not meet the stereotype people have in their minds. I don’t doubt that one day it will be clearer and is already becoming more obvious as he remains unresponsive to langauge and talking (but, some just think he’s deaf).My son is not negative or positive. I can’t put his disorder in those terms. I could talk about that this is not a death sentence or contagious, etc, but I will leave what I feel is obvious aside and share the following with you.

The positive side to Autism – Written by a woman with ASD

Top 10 Terrific Traits of Autistic People – A top 10 list

Children with Autism-The Good Side - A little repetitive from the previous article, a quick read

And I love this article about a mother with 6 children, 5 have ASD…

Caring for — and Blogging About — Her Five Autistic Children – It’s very positive and refreshing to hear. I needed this personally after crying about someone’s story about their child at birth (having a stroke, etc).

It’s hard for me to be positive. So this blog entry is a good start…and today I am grateful for my son’s nap so I could sit down and write

Just finished applying for an elem. job in Mpls.

Just finished emailing a provider about an eval. My son is at the top of the list for a program that I am wishy-washy about. Well, I am wishy-washy about all of them. I am so tired of not knowing where our son should go to “school”. We decided to move forward with one and keep the one he goes to to make a full time program. It sucks for 2 reasons. 1 – medical transportation…but, I would get over it. 2 – 2 totally different approaches to ASD not sure if this will confuse him or me more. oh! And 3 – now they are telling me they don’t think MA will cover both programs as they bill similarly.

Which is so confusing! They just told me over a week ago that they are pretty sure that it will be fine. A part of me just wants to be like F@# it. It’s probably going to be a problem because you can’t figure it out. It’s like the real answer is, we need to find out before we’ll know for sure. Bottom line – not my problem. I learned that if an MA provider doesn’t want to do the leg work, then they are out the money – not me. They have to figure it out because they cannot send you a bill if they are an MA provider. So, hm?

Maybe we just need to send him to MAC? I want to send him to Autism Matters, but they don’t take MA yet for ABA services. I hope they will sooner than later. I just don’t know if I am comfortable with DT/ABA. I think VB just makes more sense to me and that is what he gets now.

Autism Resource Fair

Saturday, April 10, 2010
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Buffalo Community Middle School
1300 Hwy 25 N. Buffalo, MN

Jill Kuzma, keynote speaker, is a speech-language pathologist who works with students with Asperger Syndrome, PDD-NOS, “high” functioning autism, and other related Social Thinking needs. She’ll be giving a talk on “Building Social Skills” from 10-11:30am. Free admission, Many booths and resources, Kid friendly activities, Food available for purchase.

Local Girl Scouts (5th/6th grade) will assist with semi-structured games & activities for youth. Parents/Guardians will be expected to remain in the building & responsible for their children. Contact Brandy with questions at 763-682-7941. Sponsored by the Wright County Autism Task Force.

Understanding Guardianship for People with Developmental Disabilities

Tuesday, April 22, 2010
TWO SESSONS: 1:30PM- 4:30PM OR 5:30PM- 8:30PM
SHERBURNE COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER
13880 HIGHWAY 10
ELK RIVER, MN 55330

Also included: PROVIDING FOR THEIR FINANCIAL FUTURES THROUGH WILLS AND SPECIAL NEEDS TRUSTS. Pizza will be provided at 5PM for those who register. PLEASE RSVP FOR THIS TRAINING BY CONTACTING MARY BETH BRUFLODT AT (320) 493-1231. Please leave name, phone number, and session attending. You may also email mbruflodt@dungarvin.com

Autism Awareness Day with the MN Twins!

Sunday, June 13, 2010
1:10pm game
Target Field

Twins vs Atlanta Braves. Home plate view tickets $24 value, selling for $18 ($5 handling fee will be charged). Event put on by Twins Baseball, AuSM and RT Autism Awareness Foundation. R.S.V.P. with Todd Krulewich at 612-659-3577 or email ToddKrulewich@twinsbaseball.com