I seem to have another Yahoo group email glitch again, so I am trying to
resend this email from Tuesday. Sorry if you get it twice. Scott

_____

From: Campbell, Scott LTC ATEC
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 5:17 PM
To: 'ASA-NV@yahoogroups.com'; 'FairfaxCoAutismSupportGroup@yahoogroups.com';
'fairfax@...'; 'specialedfairfax@yahoogroups.com';
'poac-nova@...';
'abaconnections-virginia@yahoogroups.com';
'FairfaxAutismNetwork@yahoogroups.com';
'VirginiaAutismCoalition@yahoogroups.com'; 'River-Va@yahoogroups.com';
'hrautism@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: Education and Autism Information, 30 MAY 06


1. From the Arc of Northern Virginia at <http://www.thearcofnova.org/>
www.TheArcofNoVa.org:


June 1~ Special Education: The Basics, Are you new to the special education
process? Are you a "veteran" but confused by special education regulations
and procedures? Do you wish you could feel more effective in your role as
part of the educational decision making team for your child? Come to this
workshop and learn how to work collaboratively with your child's school team
to ensure the best possible outcome for your child. 7:30 to 9:15 p.m. at the
Parent Resource Center, 2334 Gallows Road, Dunn Loring, VA. Visit the Parent
Resource Center website <http://www.fcps.edu/ss/prc> www.fcps.edu/ss/prc or
call the PRC at 703-204-3941 to register and for more information.



June 2 ~ Special Education: The Basics, Are you new to the special education
process? Are you a "veteran" but confused by special education regulations
and procedures? Do you wish you could feel more effective in your role as
part of the educational decision making team for your child? Come to this
workshop and learn how to work collaboratively with your child's school team
to ensure the best possible outcome for your child. 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at
the Reston Library, VA. Visit the Parent Resource Center website
<http://www.fcps.edu/ss/prc> www.fcps.edu/ss/prc or call the PRC at
703-204-3941 to register and for more information.



June 7 ~ Special Education: The Basics, Are you new to the special education
process? Are you a "veteran" but confused by special education regulations
and procedures? Do you wish you could feel more effective in your role as
part of the educational decision making team for your child? Come to this
workshop and learn how to work collaboratively with your child's school team
to ensure the best possible outcome for your child. 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at
the Martha Washington Library, Alexandria, VA. Visit the Parent Resource
Center website <http://www.fcps.edu/ss/prc> www.fcps.edu/ss/prc or call the
PRC at 703-204-3941 to register and for more information.



June 8 ~ Virginia's Substitute Evaluation Program (VSEP) & The Virginia
Grade Level Assessment (VGLA), If you have a child who receives special
education services or has a 504 plan, is working at or near grade level, but
struggles with the multiple-choice SOL assessments, you will want to attend
this workshop. The Virginia Department of Education has developed a
portfolio assessment for students who can master the material in the
Standards of Learning but have trouble demonstrating their knowledge on a
multiple choice test. If your child has failed one or more SOL tests,
please join us for this critically important and informative session. 10:00
a.m. to noon at the Centreville Library, VA.



June 8 ~ People First Meeting- Join the People First of Northern Virginia
for its monthly meeting. People First is an adult self-advocates
organization that meet monthly in Falls Church to talk about issues and
where they can help in efforts to create a better community for all with
disabilities. New members are always welcome. Meetings are held on the
second Thursday of every month. 7-8:30 pm, Baptist Church, 103 W. Columbia
Street, Falls Church, VA. Contact Cindy Daniel @ 703-532-3214 x215 for
questions or RSVP.



June 10 ~ Free Exclusive Showing of the new animated Disney/Pixar film,
"Cars" presented by Waddell & Reed Financial Services on June 10th at AMC
Tyson's Corner, VA. Families with special needs are invited to come and
enjoy the movie. Seating is limited, so please call (703) 556-4800, option
1, extension 115 to reserve seats. Charity Partner for the event is the
Autism Society of America, Northern Virginia Chapter.

June 13 ~ Virginia's Substitute Evaluation Program (VSEP) & The Virginia
Grade Level Assessment (VGLA), If you have a child who receives special
education services or has a 504 plan, is working at or near grade level, but
struggles with the multiple-choice SOL assessments, you will want to attend
this workshop. The Virginia Department of Education has developed a
portfolio assessment for students who can master the material in the
Standards of Learning but have trouble demonstrating their knowledge on a
multiple choice test. If your child has failed one or more SOL tests,
please join us for this critically important and informative session. 10:00
a.m. to noon at the Sherwood Hall Library, Alexandria, VA. Visit the Parent
Resource Center website <http://www.fcps.edu/ss/prc> www.fcps.edu/ss/prc or
call the PRC at 703-204-3941 to register and for more information.



June 15 ~ Virginia's Substitute Evaluation Program (VSEP) & The Virginia
Grade Level Assessment (VGLA), If you have a child who receives special
education services or has a 504 plan, is working at or near grade level, but
struggles with the multiple-choice SOL assessments, you will want to attend
this workshop. The Virginia Department of Education has developed a
portfolio assessment for students who can master the material in the
Standards of Learning but have trouble demonstrating their knowledge on a
multiple choice test. If your child has failed one or more SOL tests,
please join us for this critically important and informative session. 7:00
to 9:15 p.m. at the Parent Resource Center, 2334 Gallows Road, Dunn Loring,
VA. Visit the Parent Resource Center website <http://www.fcps.edu/ss/prc>
www.fcps.edu/ss/prc or call the PRC at 703-204-3941 to register and for more
information.



August 15-16 ~ "TEACHING VERBAL BEHAVIOR IN THE INTENSIVE TEACHING
ENVIRONMENT" workshop by Holly Kibbe, MS, BCABA & Cherish Twigg, MS, BCBA at
the Marymount University, Ballston Conference Center, 1000 North Glebe Road,
Arlington, VA on August 15-16, 2006 from 9am-5pm (each day) sponsored by
Parents Of Autistic Children of Northern Virginia (POAC-NoVA). The
suggested audience is school system personnel, parents, and other
professionals. The cost is $395. Go to
<blocked::http://www.poac-nova.org/newsmanager/news_article.cgi?news_id=676>
http://www.poac-nova.org/newsmanager/news_article.cgi?news_id=676 for more
info.



September 17-19 ~ 10th Annual Collaborations Joint Conference at The Ramada
Plaza Resort Oceanfront, Virginia Beach, VA. September 17-19, 2006 &
September 30 - October 2, 2007. Join your colleagues for quality training
and networking opportunities in a great location. Many of the workshops will
help strengthen staff competencies as well as help with CARF accreditation.
<http://www.vaaccses.org/> www.vaaccses.org for more information.



September 30 ~ Northern Virginia C.A.S.T. for Kids Event - An Invitation to
Children and Parents: The C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation is extending an
invitation to thirty (30) boys and girls with disabilities aged 5 to 17,
from Northern Virginia, who would like to participate, with their parents,
in a day of fishing. The C.A.S.T. for Kids events are designed to partner
each registered child and their parent(s) with a "Boat Captain" who takes
the child and his or her parent(s) out on his large bass boat for a morning
of fishing and excitement. All registrations will be taken on a first-come,
first-served basis. The event is scheduled to be held--rain or shine--on
Saturday, September 30, 2006, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at Pohick Bay
Park in Fairfax County, near the city of Lorton, VA. For more information
about CAST for Kids visit <http://www.castforkids.org/>
www.castforkids.org. For more reservations and information about the
September 30th event, contact Ronald Sikler - (703) 286-4557, (571)
264-5002 <mailto:castforkidsva@...> castforkidsva@... or
<mailto:ronald.sickler@...> ronald.sickler@.... C.A.S.T. for Kids,
P.O. Box 686, Newington, VA 22122-0686.



2. ABC News will feature sibling issues and Sibshops in stories scheduled
for broadcast this Tuesday and Wednesday on World News Tonight AND
Nightline! According to Caren Zucker, ABC news producer (and mom of a child
with autism) these stories will be a part of a series on autism that will
air Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday's (May 30th) stories will profile Paul
DeSavino, a 36-year-old New Jersey man living with autism who is in
love--and finds the intersection of love and autism challenging, to say the
least. Wednesday's (May 31st) stories should feature excerpts from
interviews with Judy Karasik (co-author of The Ride Together) and young sibs
from Oshkosh, Wisconsin who attended a wonderful Sibshop coordinated by the
amazing Harriet Redman of the Fox Valley Sibling Support Network.

3. Take Me Out to the Ballgame on the Potomac Nationals Disability
Awareness Day. Sunday, July 16 at 1:05pm for the Potomac Nationals vs
Lynchburg HillCats at Richard Pfitzner Stadium, Woodbridge, VA. Sponsored
by the Washington Group Special Care Planning Team again for the second
year. Call them for FREE tickets for your family at 301 581-7208 or 703
277-6762. Please tell them to put you in the POAC-NoVA or ASA-NV group, so
we can all sit together for the game. You can pick up your tickets at the
will-call tent outside the stadium on the day of the game along with your
goodie bag for the kids or have them mailed to you. Directions to get to
the stadium are at <http://www.potomacnationals.com/directions.html>
http://www.potomacnationals.com/directions.html. Note that there is a
parking charge of $5 per car. We hope to see you at the game!

4. The Local Management Board of St. Mary's County presents "From Chaos to
Calm: Functional Behavior Assessments and in-Home Behavior Management" If
actions speak louder than words, what is your child saying when they become
angry, have a temper tantrum, or a meltdown? All behaviors are a form of
communication - how can parents understand what is being communicated?
Participants in this workshop will learn effective strategies to understand
the motivation behind a child's behavior, and techniques to help everyone in
the family create a calmer home life. Guest Speaker is Teresa Robinson,
Behavior Specialist, and Professor at Johns Hopkins University at Friday,
June 16, 2006 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; The Carter Building, 23110
Leonard Hall Drive, Leonardtown, MD. This workshop is free, but
registration is required. A light supper will be served. Please R.S.V.P.
to Robin Duke at 301 475-4510.

5. This is an old article, but it is worth repeating. "10 Things Your
Student with Autism Wishes You Knew" by Ellen Notbohm in the Fall/Winter
2005 edition of Healing Magazine at
<http://www.kidspeace.org/healingMagazine/NEWHealing/healing_ss06_7.htm>
http://www.kidspeace.org/healingMagazine/NEWHealing/healing_ss06_7.htm.

"This is a follow-up to the extraordinarily well-received article
<http://www.kidspeace.org/healingMagazine/NEWHealing/healing_fw05_7.htm> "10
Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew" that appeared in the
Fall/Winter 2005 issue of Healing. This time, Ellen Notbohm speaks to
educators from the perspective of an autistic child and explains the many
sensory assaults experienced on a daily basis in the typical classroom. This
information should have an impact on teachers, parents and anyone who
interacts with an autistic child. 1. Behavior is communication. All
behavior occurs for a reason. It tells you, even when my words can't, how I
perceive what is happening around me. Negative behavior interferes with my
learning process. But merely interrupting these behaviors is not enough;
teach me to exchange these behaviors with proper alternatives so that real
learning can flow. Start by believing this: I truly do want to learn to
interact appropriately. No child wants the negative feedback we get from
"bad" behavior. Negative behavior usually means I am overwhelmed by
disordered sensory systems, cannot communicate my wants or needs or don't
understand what is expected of me. Look beyond the behavior to find the
source of my resistance. Keep notes as to what happened immediately before
the behavior: people involved, time of day, activities, settings. Over time,
a pattern may emerge. ..."

6. "Psychiatric drugs fare favorably when companies pay for studies" dated
24 May 2006 by Marilyn Elias from USA TODAY at
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-24-drug-studies_x.htm?POE=NEWIS
V>
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-24-drug-studies_x.htm?POE=NEWISV
.

"Drug companies fund a growing number of the studies in leading psychiatric
journals, and drugs fare much better in these company-funded studies than in
trials done independently or by competitors, researchers reported Wednesday.
About 57% of published studies were paid for by drug companies in 2002,
compared with 25% in 1992, says psychiatrist Igor Galynker of Beth Israel
Medical Center in New York City. His team looked at clinical research in
four influential journals: American Journal of Psychiatry, Archives of
General Psychiatry, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Journal of Clinical
Psychopharmacology. In the report, released at the American Psychiatric
Association meeting in Toronto, reviewers did not know who paid for the
studies they evaluated, Galynker says. There were favorable outcomes for a
medication in about:

* Eight out of 10 studies paid for by the company that makes the drug.

* Five out of 10 studies done with no industry support.

* Three out of 10 studies done by competitors of the firm making the drug.

The findings don't prove the companies are knowingly biasing studies, says
co-author Robert Kelly Jr., also with Beth Israel. The report didn't look at
the evidence for bias in design of the studies. As drug companies
increasingly fund research that yields favorable outcomes for their drugs,
there may be a built-in bias because journals are reluctant to publish
studies with negative or inconclusive findings, Galynker says. ..."

7. "School system loses autism case- Judge faults Henrico for not taking
child; ruling may cost hundreds of thousands" dated 27 May 2006 by BILL
MCKELWAY from the Richmond Times-Dispatch at
<http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_B
asicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137836373127>
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_Ba
sicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137836373127.

"A federal judge yesterday found the Henrico County school system knowingly
and repeatedly failed to provide a system of instruction suitable to a
severely autistic child. In a 79-page opinion laced with criticism of the
school system's compliance with education disabilities law, U.S. District
Judge Robert E. Payne sets hearings to determine what Henrico schools should
pay for failing to meet federal standards of care. Those costs could exceed
hundreds of thousands of dollars in school tuition and legal fees, lawyers
in the case said yesterday. The school system declined direct comment on
the case and referred all questions to its lawyer, Thomas Tokarz II. "I
haven't read all [of the opinion] so I'm not in a position to comment," he
said yesterday. Tokarz did say the school system provides a broad range of
opportunities to more than 7,000 special-education students and provides
tuition for students who need instruction not available in the county.
Henrico spends $42 million a year on exceptional education, according to the
school system. A figure for out-of-system tuition costs could not be
determined yesterday. Four years in the making and in federal court for two
years, the case decided yesterday represents a rare instance in which a
family of a disabled child has been able to counter school system opposition
to costly programs tailored to particular disabilities. "The doggedness
with which Henrico County has fought this family is illustrated by the long
life of this case," said Siran Faulders, who represented the family with
William Hurd, both of Troutman Saunders LLP in Richmond. Hurd said in a
written statement that the decision in the case will serve as a message of
hope for other families facing similar difficulties with their local school
systems. The case was brought by Courtney and Rick Tutwiler on behalf of
their autistic son, Reid, now 8. The family was not identified in court
documents but agreed yesterday to have their names made public. "The
opinion validates our belief that not only was it right that we pulled Reid
out of the county school system but that what the county could offer Reid at
the time was not appropriate," Courtney Tutwiler said yesterday. Payne
found that Henrico improperly offered Reid an educational program in which
he would not make any more than minimal educational progress. ..."

8. "Autism, A Little Understood Disorder May Have Genetic Roots" dated 29
May 2006 by Carol Pearson from Voice of America News at
<http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-05-29-voa16.cfm>
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-05-29-voa16.cfm.

"Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern have been able to
genetically change mice so their behavior is similar to some people with
autism. The researchers hope their discovery will eventually lead to
treatment for people with autism spectrum disorder. Mice are genetically
similar to people which is why geneticists such as Eric Lander study them.
"We might think of ourselves as different than a mouse because we're so much
bigger and we think we're so much smarter, but look inside, the organs are
all the same." Including the brain. Researchers led by
<http://www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept24916/files/72320.html>
Professor Luis Parada at the University of Texas Southwestern have found
that by deleting a gene called P-ten in certain parts of the mouse brain,
they created mice that act like people with autism spectrum disorder, a
range of disorders in which people have trouble with communication and
social interaction: they may not even look at people they are with. They
may also exhibit other strange behaviors: walking on their toes, and
flapping their arms. Professor Luis Parada directs the university's Center
of Developmental Biology. He says by genetically altering the mice, he got
some of the same behavior as people who have autism. "The abnormal behaviors
are based on the fact that mice are extremely social animals." ..."

9. "Love Complicates Life Even for the Autistic" dated 30 May 2006 by John
Donvan from ABC News at
<http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Health/story?id=2019736&page=1>
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Health/story?id=2019736&page=1.

"It was supposed to have been a spectacular Sunday in New York City for Paul
DeSavino. He and his mother, Marlene, were on their way to Carnegie Hall,
where he was one of a group of piano students in a recital. The others were
already there, taking turns warming up. But Marlene DeSavino sensed that
there was something wrong with her son, the only autistic performer in
recital that day. "When we got to the rehearsal, and he played, I knew
immediately as soon as he played the first couple of notes that he wasn't
focused," she said. Chopin's Prelude #4 is one of the sweetest and gentlest
melodies ever composed. And Paul was just chopping at it. "I gave him clues
and cues while he was playing it - you know, 'Softer, good, good, that's
right,'" Marlene said. But the problem with Paul was entirely in his heart
as he had told previously told his mother. "He said that he thought that he
was in love," Marlene said. Paul told her later he was in love with an
older woman. But problem was the woman didn't love him back. Unrequited love
weighed devastatingly on Paul. Who knew that a man with autism could suffer
the pain of a broken heart? Does it even make sense that an autistic man is
in love? "Am I to say that what he thinks is love isn't love?" said Peter
Gerhardt, executive director of Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism. "For
him, it's love. And that's okay." ..."

10. " <javascript:void(0);/*1148984448218*/> More debate about vaccines and
autism" from a Safe Minds response at
<http://www.safeminds.org/pressroom/pres_releases/060502Herman.pdf>
http://www.safeminds.org/pressroom/pres_releases/060502Herman.pdf to the
recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Physician
Assistants.

"On behalf of SafeMinds, the largest non-profit organization supporting
research into mercury and neurological outcomes, we applaud the authors of
"Vaccines, thimerosol, and neurodevelopmental outcomes" (CSAC Special
Report, JAAPA, January 2006, page 16) for investigating
thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs). We agree that, "inaccurate
information has been promulgated to the general population and clinicians
alike." Unfortunately, the article contains errors which are addressed in
this correspondence and have been grouped into the following categories:
effectiveness and safety, comparative toxicity, exposure guidelines, past
and current exposures, and Institute of Medicine (IOM) concerns. (Our
original unabridged response with full citations is available at
<http://www.safeminds.org/> www.safeminds.org.)

Thimerosal Effectiveness and Safety. The authors erroneously stated,
"thimerosal kills bacteria and effectively prevents bacterial contamination"
and "before thimerosal was introduced as a vaccine preservative, data were
available providing evidence that it is both safe and effective." A 1975 FDA
panel reviewed evidence dating back to 1928 and issued reports in 1980 and
1982 concluding, "thimerosal was no better than water in protecting mice
from potential fatal streptococcal infections."1 In 1948, it was found to be
ineffective as a "disinfectant, germicide and antiseptic."2 In 1981, its use
in TCVs resulted in clusters of Group A streptococcus infections.3 In 2004,
Chiron, the manufacturer of Fluvirin, a TCV, was forced to close one of its
plants because it was contaminated with Serratia marcescens.4 Moreover,
because "no clinical studies were found that formally evaluated the safety
of thimerosal prior to its initial marketing", the FDA nominated thimerosal
for evaluation by the National Toxicology Program.5 Demonstrating FDA
concerns regarding a lack of safety data, a 1935 study found that thimerosal
was "35.3 times more toxic for embryonic chick heart tissue than for
Staphylococcus aureus". ..."



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