Parents Of Autistic Children of Northern Virginia (POAC-NoVA) E-News for May
2006


Parents Of Autistic Children of Northern Virginia (POAC-NoVA) Spring Tune Up
Campaign encourages parents of autistic children to go out and visit their
children's school programs and share their experience. April and May are
great months to go out and visit your child at school. It is the perfect
time to plan ahead for Extended School Year (Summer) and Fall services. Use
the visit as an opportunity to monitor your child's progress during this
school year. Also use the visit to get insights on how to synchronize
interventions between home and school. To help you further, POAC-NoVA is
providing a checklist/guide at <blocked::mailto:springtuneup@...>
springtuneupcampaign@... for your visit. For the campaign,
contact your child's teacher or principal to arrange the visit. Tell us, in
a one page report, your experience regarding the visit to school. Folks who
have visited their child's school program recently; there is no need to
schedule another visit. Send us a report from your last visit. POAC-NoVA
promises to keep all information from your school trip report CONFIDENTIAL.
Reports can be emailed to <blocked::mailto:springtuneup@...>
springtuneupcampaign@... or sent by mail to 3927 Old Lee Highway,
Suite 102-C, Fairfax, VA 22030-2422. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION HAS BEEN
EXTENDED TO: May 30th, 2006.


POAC-NoVA Continues Autism Awareness Month with an Essay / Poem / Picture
Contest. For Autism Awareness Month, POAC-NoVA and Fairfax County Public
Schools (FCPS) welcomes students and educators to participate in an ESSAY /
POEM / PICTURE CONTEST.

Do you have autism?
Do you know someone with autism?
Do you teach someone with autism?
We want to hear from you!

Who can enter: Students and Educators.

How to participate:

* Write an essay or poem or draw a picture about autism and how it has
affected you.
* Essays can be of any length.
* Include the following your name, grade, school, home phone number with
your entry.
* You may only enter once.
* Submit your essay/poem/drawing to your principal.
* Deadline: *Extended* to May 30th, 2006.

Prize Categories:
* Students (2 prizes)
* Educators (2 prizes)
* Family (1 prize)

Prizes will be awarded at a POAC-NoVA member meeting and are $25 gift
certificates from local vendors. A certification of participation will be
awarded to all elementary school participants.


POAC-NoVA Call for Nominations for POAC-NoVA 2nd Annual Staff Appreciation &
Recognition BBQ. We invite you to nominate a teacher or other school staff
member who you think has most significantly enhanced your child's public
educational experience by providing excellence in teaching and related
services. Nominees may be teachers, bus drivers, guidance counselors,
psychologists, administrators, occupational, physical and speech therapists
or other staff members. POAC-NoVA will only accept nominations from
parents, guardians, or students. You may nominate up to two staff

members or one team (e.g. 3rd Grade Special Education Team at ...) per
child. We will celebrate their contributions with you and your family, as
well as the nominee's guest and administrator at the POAC-NoVA Annual
Appreciation BBQ and potluck event on July 22, 2006 at Shelter B of Burke
Lake Park, 7315 Ox Road, Fairfax, VA. The nomination forms are available at
<http://www.poac-nova.org/> http://www.poac-nova.org/. Please return the
form by June 20th via email if at all possible to
<mailto:Nominations@...> Nominations@..., or to
POAC-NoVA, P.O. Box 1839, Vienna, VA 22183. Please call Scott Campbell at
703 681-9426 or 703 241-2640, if you have any questions.



April 29: FCPS 2nd Annual Special Education Conference: Linking Parents and
Schools. The Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Office of Special
Education and the Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities are
co-sponsoring a conference for parents of students who receive special
education services, middle and high school students with disabilities, and
staff and community members. The second annual Special Education Conference:
Linking Parents and Schools will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on
Saturday, April 29, at Marshall High School, 7731 Leesburg Pike, Falls
Church, VA 22043 with workshops, discussion forums, and information about
FCPS' special education services and community resources. Sessions will
include discussions on home-school communication, extended school year
services, assistive technology, behavior management, and social skills.
Information will be provided on elementary level resources, secondary
curriculum, the Arc of Northern Virginia, Special Olympics, and parent
educational advocacy training. To request accommodations or a foreign
language interpreter, contact the Parent Resource Center at 703-204-3941.
For more information, visit <http://www.fcps.edu/ss/SpecialEducationForum>
http://www.fcps.edu/ss/SpecialEducationForum or call 703-204-3941 for a
complete list of workshops being offered at the conference.


May 3: FCPS Parent Meeting for Secondary Students with Autism on Wednesday,
3 May starting at 7PM at Davala Hall in Robinson High School, 5035 Sideburn
Road, Fairfax, VA 22032. Programming for Middle and High School Students
with Autism will be discussed by FCPS staff and their consultants. All our
kids will be going to secondary school some day, so we would encourage your
attendance at and participation in this meeting. FCPS point of contact is
Flo Bosch at (571)423-4146 or Florence.Bosch@...
<mailto:Florence.Bosch@...> .


May 20: POAC-NoVA Workshop on "Teaching Verbal Behavior in the Classroom" by
Jamie Duncan, M.S., BCBA at the Fairfax Education Association Building, 3917
Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22030 on May 20th, 2006 from 9am-1pm. The
suggested audience is primarily school system personnel. Encourage your
school or local special education department to send your child's teacher,
paraeducator, or other education professional to learn the latest in ABA/VB.
The cost is only $30. Go to
http://www.poac-nova.org/newsmanager/news_article.cgi?news_id=776
<http://www.poac-nova.org/newsmanager/news_article.cgi?news_id=776> for
more info.


May 20: POAC-NoVA Support Group Meeting for parents with presentation by
Emily Stanley on functional behavioral assessments also on May 20th, 2006
from 1 to 3 pm. Why does my child do that? Methods for determining
functions of problem behavior. How to change behavior based on identified
functions. Emily has her masters in special education from University of
Maryland at College Park and is a board certified behavior analyst working
in Montgomery County. Meeting in Room B of the Reston Community Center,
1609-A Washington Plaza, Reston, VA. We hope to see you at this meeting for
a discussion on behavior problems, which affect everyone of our children in
some way. After this meeting, the POAC-NoVA monthly meetings will regularly
be held at the Dolley Madison Library in McLean, VA.


May 25: Autism Society of America- Northern Virginia Chapter's Annual
Meeting is on Thursday, May 25th starting at 7:00 PM at McLean Bible Church,
8925 Leesburg Pike (Route 7), just west of Tyson's Corner, VA. There will
be a free presentation about home and community safety issues led by Scott
Campbell, former President of Parents of Autistic Children of Northern
Virginia. He is the parent of a nonverbal child with autism, and he has a
strong interest in safety issues for individuals with an Autism Spectrum
Disorder. He has begun autism awareness training programs for first
responder personnel in the local area. Also, the annual election of
officers will take place. All members in good standing (dues current) can
vote. Nominations from the floor will be at 7:00. Voting will be until
until 7:30, when Scott will start his presentation. We hope to see you
there!


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