AUTISM SUPPORT GROUP OF COBB COUNTY MEETING NOTICE

THURSDAY— JANUARY 15, 2009

PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE HOSTING A MORNING AND AN EVENING MEETING THIS
MONTH. PLEASE READ BELOW FOR INFORMATION REGARDING BOTH MEETINGS.

MORNING MEETING - 9:30 a.m. to 11:30a.m.

Topic: "Behavioral Complications"—a multi-media presentation from Dr.
Levine's "Developing Minds Series"

Facilitator: Brian Cuthrell

The "Developing Minds" video series is a twenty-two volume series that
was developed by "All Kinds of Minds," a private non-profit
organization affiliated with the University of North Carolina and
co-founded by Dr. Mel Levine—a developmental/behavioral pediatrician.
The video, "Behavioral Complications," is designed to increase
awareness of how behavioral problems often stem from a child's poor
performance in school. This topic ties in well to the thought
processes that parents are currently experiencing, as we begin making
plans for our children's 2009-2010 school year. At the conclusion of
this video, Brian Cuthrell will facilitate a discussion of the video's
main message points, and will address concerns and challenges that
attendees might be facing regarding the schooling of their children.
Brian is a father of three children, one with Aspergers Syndrome. In
addition to applying many of the principals from the "Developing
Minds" series in his own home, Brain also has a background in
corporate and business training.


EVENING MEETING –7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Topic: Private School Options for Children with Autism and Aspergers
Syndrome

Presenters: Alexsander Academy -- Maya Mehanna and Stefanie Smith

The Lionheart School -- Victoria A. McBride
and Tamara B. Spafford

Alexsander Academy is a school for children with special needs and/or
emotional-behavioral needs, including but not limited to children with
autism and Aspergers Syndrome. The school is designed to challenge
every student academically with the accommodations necessary, and the
curriculum is based on the Georgia Performance Standards. Student
assessments tied to these performance standards, are an important part
of the program. The school views each child as an individual, who has
something to teach as well as to learn. Instruction is tailored to
meet the needs of each student through lessons that are taught in a
group format, and an individual format when needed.

The Lionheart School was founded in 2000 by some of the Southeast's
leading early childhood educational professionals and a group of
families who were unable to find a school or program which fit the
needs of their children. The school offers a unique learning
environment that combines academic instruction with speech,
occupational, and music therapy. The foundation of the Lionheart
program centers on the Developmental Individual Difference
Relationship-based model of Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D. and Serena
Wieder, Ph.D. Sensory Integration theory, as developed by Jane Ayers,
and creative learning strategies from Lindamood-Bell and Wilson are
embedded through the school day.

This meeting will take the form of a round-table discussion between
the representatives of these two schools and the attendees. Some of
the topics that will be explored include: 1) the pro's and con's of
private vs. public schooling; 2) the type of approach parents should
take when exploring private school options for their children, 3)
unique service offerings provided by these schools and the types of
children that are a good match for their programs. During the
meeting, parents will also be encouraged to ask their own questions
about private schooling, and we will allow time at the end of the
meeting for any interested parents to talk individually with the
representatives from each school. This is a great opportunity for
parents to learn more about private schooling. Even if your child is
currently accessing a good program, things can change from
year-to-year, and it's good to be familiar with all the local
educational options that are available. Please make plans to join us
for this very special evening meeting!

RSVP
In order to set up the meeting room properly, it is important for us
to have an idea regarding the number of people who will be coming.
Please let us know if you are planning on attending by sending an RSVP
to Karen Kolacinski at kkola@.... Please specify whether you
are attending the morning meeting, the evening meeting, or both.

DIRECTIONS:

4385 Lower Roswell Road ~ Marietta, GA 30068

Our meetings are held at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in the "B"
building located near the front of the church campus. Our meeting
room is B116, next to the church library. Directions to Mt. Bethel
are as follows: From I-75 take exit #261, Delk Road and head East
(opposite Dobbins Air Force Base). If exiting Northbound, turn right
onto Delk Road. If exiting Southbound, turn left onto Delk. Delk
Road becomes Terrell Mill Road, which becomes Lower Roswell Road.
From I-75 the church is approximately 5 miles. It is a large yellow
church on the left, and a police/fire station is across the street on
the right. Turn into any church driveway. The parking spaces at the
front of the parking lot will be the ones closest to Building "B."

MESSAGE BOARD:
Our support group message board is a great way to ask questions and to
share information with everyone in our group. Joining is easy. Just
go to our website: www.asgcobb.com and click on the "News" tab at the
top of the home page. Then look for the "Yahoo Groups" Icon at the
bottom of the page to sign up!