Public Television Documentary Highlights Crisis for Adults with Autism

I found a very interesting article, that brings to the light concerns that many of us have in regards to autism.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., March 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Over the next 10 to 15 years, an estimated 800,000 children with autism will age out of their school systems and look to state and federal governments for support services and resources to meet their many needs.
That statistic is among several staggering facts detailed in “Autism: Coming of Age,” a film produced by award-winning filmmaker Catherine Sager for Springfield, Ma public television station WGBY, and sponsored by the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual).
“Autism: Coming of Age” begins airing this month on local PBS affiliates across the country through the rest of the year. (Call your local PBS station about air dates or check MassMutual’s Facebook page for listings – Facebook.com/MassMutual)
The hour-long documentary provides an inside look at the lives of three adults with autism and their families. “Autism: Coming of Age” includes expert commentary from advocates and state government officials who detail the long-term challenges of providing quality care to adults with autism.

Please click here for more of the story–>http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/public-television-documentary-highlights-crisis-for-adults-with-autism-118793024.html

Another Parent of Autistic kids, also trying to help!!!

Mother sets out to buy iPads for other autistic children

Tara Oathout couldn’t believe it. Her son, Grady Oathout, who will turn 4 in August, was asking for fruit after just getting back to grandma’s house after lunch at a restaurant, where he had eaten more than anybody at the table.

“He’s always hungry,” said Tara Oathout as she walked into the kitchen to fetch him something to eat. “Amazing.”

Actually, it was amazing, but not only because he wanted more food so soon after a big lunch. Grady, who has autism, didn’t ask his mommy for a banana in the conventional way –– by activating the anatomical mechanisms that produce human speech –– because Grady doesn’t talk. Instead, he asked by using his Apple iPad.

“How about a banana?” Tara Oathout asked, offering a chunk to Grady.

He smiled, pushed the banana into his mouth and instantly returned to the electronic device that has, in ways both large and small, opened lines of communication that those who love him once feared were closed off for life.

She is helping autistic people get ipads in a similar manner to what we are trying to do.

For the rest of the story, click here—->http://www.carmitimes.com/lifestyle/x1234548026/Mother-sets-out-to-buy-iPads-for-other-autistic-children

Autistic boy,12, with higher IQ than Einstein develops his own theory of relativity

Let’s hear it for another Aspie, a 12 year old autistic young man of high intelligence–>

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:23 PM on 24th March 2011

A 12-year-old child prodigy has astounded university professors after grappling with some of the most advanced concepts in mathematics.

Jacob Barnett has an IQ of 170 – higher than Albert Einstein – and is now so far advanced in his Indiana university studies that professors are lining him up for a PHD research role.

The boy wonder, who taught himself calculus, algebra, geometry and trigonometry in a week, is now tutoring fellow college classmates after hours.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1369595/Jacob-Barnett-12-higher-IQ-Einstein-develops-theory-relativity.html#ixzz1HZPNESCv

An Exciting product from www.discovermyvoice.com, Check it out.

The idea for MyVoice has been a long time coming. As parents of a child with autism, we understand, at a very deep level, the desire to be able to communicate with your child even on a basic level, and the frustration of not being able to do so. We experimented with many many different methods of communication, from sign language to icon boards, and none were satisfactory. Some were free (sign language) and some were very expensive (thousands of dollars for a dedicated AAC device) but they all suffered from the same flaw: they required an abstract connection between a thing and a concept that our daughter wasn’t getting. A picture board solved this to some degree but was neither portable nor easily modifiable. Enter MyVoice. It allowed us to create a “digital” picture board as well as let her hear the phrase spoken every time she requested something. She not only heard the phrase, but she heard it in the exact same way every single time. After a few weeks of using MyVoice, she began to get it. In the 10 years since her diagnosis she’s never used a word appropriately (except in mimicking what we said) until now. Now, on occasion she’ll say the word before touching the picture. Her temper tantrums (which were mostly due to lack of an ability to express her desires) have dramatically reduced. Now we’d like to try to do the same thing for other non-communicative children, and help some charities along the way.

Click here for more info–>www.discovermyvoice.com

Arts for Autism draws big crowd

I noticed another group that is also helping to support autistic people as well. It was posted on ksby.com. I have been to San Luis Obispo, it is a really beautiful place as is the event mentioned below.

It was orginally Posted: Mar 20, 2011 4:26 PM by Jessica Armstrong (CM) – Source: KSBY News
Updated: Mar 20, 2011 4:26 PM

It was standing room only at the Arts for Autism Gala in San Luis Obispo Saturday night.

The crowd packed the Rossi Grand Lobby at the Performing Arts Center to show their support for the Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center.

The night started with an art exhibition and reception and ended with a performance of the Firebird Ballet.

Please click here for the rest of the story–>http://www.ksby.com/news/arts-for-autism-draws-big-crowd/

We are in process of working on our state Non-profit status as well as our mission

In order to really fulfill our mission, we need to become a non-profit. The state non-profit paperwork should be submitted soon after the 10th of April. After that I will begin work on our 501c paperwork. I want to help autistic people and their families.

Specifically I want to help with scholarships to either colleges or universities or technical training from cooking schools to plumber’s training or computer repair schools. We want to help autistic people to start the career of their choice.

The second thing that I want to do is to help with education, entertainment and culture. We want to make it possible for autistic people and their families to purchase computers, and tablet pc’s and other needed technology and the third part is helping to attend events such as plays, movies, concerts, and go to places to enrich their lives such as camp and Disneyland.

The final thing that I want to help with are other organizations that help the community as well as I can.