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Adults with ASD ARI E-Bulletin

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We Want to Hear From You!

If you would like to submit an article or a letter to the editor to be

considered for publication in the ARI Adults with ASD E-Bulletin, please email

us for submission guidelines at AdultsEBulletin@....

Your feedback and ideas mean a lot to us, as we endeavor to provide you with a

balanced resource on the latest events, news and research that concern adults

with autism spectrum conditions and those who

support them.

The ARI Adults with ASD E-Bulletin Editorial Staff

Paradiz, PhD

Editor-in-Chief

ARI Director of Special Projects

Kenney, PhD, MPH

Managing Editor

ARI Special Projects Support

Janine , MTS, MSW

Contributing Editor

Research Associate, Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies,

University of Maine

To reach our editor's desk, please email us at: AdultsEBulletin@...

To subscribe to ARI's E-Newsletter and the E-Bulletin, please visit:

http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1101659254324 & p=oi

In this issue...

The State of Nutrition in Group Homes

Autistic Global Initiative - AGI: A New ARI Program

Finding a Way for Vijay - Our Family's Search for Adult Services Nationwide

News You Can Use: ARI Conference in Atlanta features one-day track devoted to

adults

Autism Recognition, Response & Risk Management Training Conference

Naturally Autistic ANCA Radio Show

Autism Works: A National Conference on Autism and Employment

Autism Speaks Publishes Transition Tool Kit

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Directory

Study Participants Needed for NIMH Study of Adults with ASD

For More Information:

Visit the Autism Research Institute's (ARI) website:

www.autism.com

ARI maintains a toll-free line with information, contacts, and access to

resources available through the Autism Research Institute.

English: 866.366.3361

Espanol: 877.644.1184 ext.5

Adults with ASD ARI E-Bulletin

February 15, 2011

From the Editor:

Dear Friends,

This issue of the ARI Adults with ASD E-Bulletin features an insightful article

by nutritional consultant, Laurion, about the state of health and diet in

group homes that support adults with developmental disabilities, including

autism. Ms. Laurion will be a featured panelist at ARI's upcoming spring

conference, to be held in Atlanta April 28-May 1.

This leads me to another exciting news item I would like to share with you: this

year in Atlanta, ARI will launch an all new conference track that features a

full day of presentations devoted to adult services. The track is for

professionals, families and agency providers who support adults on the spectrum,

as well as for people with autism. Our line-up of speakers will include Dennis

Debbaudt, Judy Endow, Sherry Moyer, Ruth Elaine Hane and many others. Topics

will cover important issues, ranging from law enforcement to transition planning

to our featured panel discussion on biomedical/medical support of adults with

ASDs. For more information about the conference, visit

http://www.ariconference.com/ . Members of another new program at ARI, the

Autistic Global Initiative (AGI), designed the adult services conference track.

You'll learn more about AGI, a self-run collaborative of adults on the spectrum

who serve as in-house consultants and advisors to ARI, in the article below.

Finally, our third feature comes from Bryson, a parent-advocate in the

state of West Virginia who offers us critical insight and information, from the

heart of a mom, on the difficulties of qualifying for and maintaining effective

services for her adult son in her community. I hope you find this issue of the

ARI Adults with ASD E-Bulletin useful in your life or work, whether you are a

person with autism, a family member, or a professional who supports adults with

ASD.

Paradiz, PhD

Editor-in-Chief

Director of Special Projects, ARI

The State of Nutrition in Group Homes

Laurion, MS, CNS

My daughter Mishka, who is 21 years old and has Syndrome, just left

home to live at Copake Village, a community in Upstate New York designed to

accommodate adults with developmental disabilities. I had been planning this

transition for Mishka for many years, first visiting the facility when she was

only 14 years old. The emphasis of daily life at Copake is not on what service

providers do and what service users receive, but simply on people living and

learning together. The community is nearly self-sustaining; organic farms and

gardens are tended by all who live there-disabled and nondisabled alike. In meal

preparation, organic ingredients are used whenever possible, so that food is

wholesome and nutritious. Everyone participates in growing and preparing the

food, and everyone eats together. This is what I call real inclusion.

Unfortunately, there are not enough places like Copake Village for individuals

with developmental disabilities. Copake is one of 100 Camphill communities

located in over 20 countries in Europe, North America, southern Africa and

India. The first Camphill community was founded in Scotland in 1939 by Dr. Karl

Koenig, an Austrian pediatrician inspired by the work of philosopher and

educator, Rudolf Steiner. Steiner's philosophy is also referred to as

" anthroposophy. " Camphill is dedicated to creating model communities that

recognize the value of every individual's contribution.

I feel very fortunate that my daughter has a home in this farming community

because when she was a child, I often worried that, without my supervision, she

would one day have a poor diet, gain weight, become less active and eventually

develop chronic diseases. She struggles enough to keep up with society, so the

least I could do, I felt, was to keep her as healthy as possible with good

nutrition.

My concern for her health also led me to complee a Masters degree in nutrition

at Columbia

University where I focused on the links between nutrition and developmental

disabilities. It is well known that obesity and inactivity are more common in

people with developmental disabilities than in the general population.1,2,3 Of

course, this health disparity may be due to individual and community factors,

including physical challenges, cognitive limitations, use of antipsychotic

medication, or inaccessibility to adaptive fitness facilities or developmentally

appropriate community programs. But I believe that nutrition also plays an

important role in supporting health, and it is often overlooked in the it role

is plays in quality of life.

In 2004, the American Dietetic Association announced our need to improve

management of the food supply for people with disabilities.4 Food systems in

many group homes provide nutritionally inadequate diets.5-8 The health

conditions that can result from such poor diets can lead to lower than average

overall capability for self-determination and general independent functioning

and performance in vocational, social, and personal life.1 Under such

circumstances, the overall health cost ends up being much larger than the cost

of eating healthy, wholesome food.

Currently, I work as a nutrition consultant to improve overall diet for adult

residents in a number of group homes in Upstate New York and New York City. I

assist these programs with an eye on recent trends in local collective farming,

such as my daughter's program, and on organic models in the food market. The

encouraging news is that the number of individuals with developmental

disabilities living in group homes has increased dramatically in the past 20

years.9,10

However, to bring good nutrition into the non-farming settings where I consult,

I first have to understand how the systems of food purchase, delivery, and

preparation work. What I have observed in these group homes is that nutritional

responsibility often falls to the direct-care staff, who may not have

appropriate training or experience. Staff turnover at such facilities is also

very high, probably because salaries are low and the work is emotionally

demanding. Another challenge in these settings is the amount of paperwork

required to comply with state regulations. Auditors want to see menus with

calorie counts. They want proof that staff are monitoring portion control and

the weight of individuals. These factors, coupled with poor shopping habits and

difficulty hiring good cooks, can make preparing a wholesome meal tedious and

seem unimportant. To top it all off, the food budget-around fifty dollars per

adult resident per week-is by USDA standards less than the thriftiest family

food budget.11 The result: service providers must do a lot with very little!

Bearing all of this in mind, my next step is to review the menus, as well as the

pantries, at each facility. I have found that homes spend a lot of their

allotted budget on three items: juice, snacks and meat. Juice is overrated, in

my opinion, and can contain up to eight teaspoons of natural sugar in one

serving. This is not added sugar, but natural fructose already in the juice.

Fruits, however, are meant to be eaten whole, in their natural state, including

the natural fiber and other ingredients that check sugar absorption and prevent

sugar spikes. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, drinking too much

juice can contribute to obesity, the development of cavities, diarrhea, and

other gastrointestinal problems.12

Between 1977 and 2002, the percentage of the American population eating three or

more snacks per day increased from 11% to 42%.13 One of the newest concepts and

among the best sellers, are 100-calorie packs of snacks. These are not

necessarily good, even if the calorie count is low, and they are expensive. A

handful of nuts, yogurt, a hard-boiled egg or a banana would be more nutritional

and cheaper.

Although protein is an important part of a balanced diet, most diets in the USA

include too much animal protein. Beans, legumes, seeds, nuts and whole grains

all contain protein and can help supplement animal protein. Additionally, the

most inexpensive foods are often plant-derived products. For example, the

cheapest cuts of beef average about three to four dollars per pound, while

lentils and dried beans are generally less than one dollar per pound and tofu

less than two per pound.

Meals are an important time to socialize, and food itself can be very

comforting. Unfortunately, individuals with disabilities often have very

controlled portions, reducing the duration of meal times. Serving better quality

foods allows for more bulk and fewer calories, making the social aspect of

sharing meals more meaningful.

In my experience working in group homes, I have observed that staff need support

and assistance in order to plan effectively and make healthy meals and snacks,

while still keeping costs low. The adult services sector could benefit

dramatically by implementing simple, effective, innovative models of purchase

and preparation. In the future, I hope there will be more places like Copake

Village, where my daughter lives, where health and wholesome food are priorities

of daily life.

References:

1-Rimmer JH, Yamaki K. Obesity and intellectual disability. Ment Retard Dev

Disabil Res Rev. 2006; 12: 22-7.

2- Hove O. Weight survey on adult persons with mental retardation living in the

community. Res Dev Disabil. 2004; 25: 9-17.

3- De S, Small J, Baur LA. Overweight and obesity among children with

developmental disabilities. J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2008;33:

43-47.

4- ADA Report: Position of the American Dietetic Association: providing

nutrition services for infants, children, and adults with developmental

disabilities and special health care needs. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004; 104: 97-107.

5- Bertoli S, Battezzati A, Merati G, et al. Nutritional status and dietary

patterns in disabled people. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2006;16:100-112.

6- F, Allan T, L. The move from a long-stay learning disabilities

hospital to community homes: a comparison of clients' nutritional status. J Hum

Nutr Diet. 2000;13:265-270.

7- Humphries K, Traci M, Seekins T. A preliminary assessment of the nutrition

and food-system environment of adults with intellectual disabilities living in

supported arrangements in the community. Ecol Food Nutr. 2004;43:517-532.

8- on J, Emerson E, N, et al. Lifestyle related risk factors for

poor health in residential settings for people with intellectual disabilities.

Res Dev Disabil. 2000;21:469-486.

9- Springer NS. From institution to foster care: impact on nutritional status.

Am J Ment Defic. 1987;91:321-327.

10- Braddock, D. Aging and developmental disabilities: Demographic and policy

issues affecting American families. Mental Retardation. 1999; 37(2): 155.

11- WWW.ERS.USDA.GOV/AMBERWAVES

12- American Academy of Pediatrics. Policy Statement. The Use and Misuse of

Fruit Juice in Pediatrics. Pediatrics. 2001;107(5):1210-1213.

13- Jahns L, Siega-Riz AM, Popkin BM. The increasing prevalence of snacking

among US children from 1977 to 1996. Journal of Pediatrics. 2001;138(4):493-498.

Laurion is a nutritionist for the WIC program in Columbia and Greene

Counties of NY State as well as a nutritional consultant for group homes.

Click for printable pdf

The Autistic Global Initiative (AGI)

A New Program of ARI

Paradiz, PhD and Janine , MSW

Photos by Ken Brewer

In November 2010, the Autism Research Institute (ARI) provided a grant to a

group of adults with autism spectrum conditions so that they could attend a

three-day retreat in Panguitch, Utah. Participants in the retreat came from all

parts of the US and represented a broad life span of autistic experience,

covering all decades in age from the 20s to the 60s. The professional experience

of the participants represented many fields of work, such as education, social

work, medicine, employment, fitness, and rehabilitation counseling.

At the retreat, facilitated workshops were devoted to topics involving ASD and

adults, including the current state of services, research and awareness of

autistic adults' experience and concerns. Time also was taken to enjoy nearby

Bryce Canyon National Park. The workshops and hiking in the breath-taking

canyons helped to form a cohesive group ready to work together on future

initiatives.

As a result, a new initiative devoted to adults with ASD has been formed and

will serve to expand awareness about adult concerns and build bridges of support

between organizations, individuals and families within the ASD community. The

individuals who participated in the retreat in Utah, along with others who were

invited but could not attend, form the core of new group, called the Autistic

Global Initiative (AGI). AGI will serve as an advisory group to ARI, and ARI

will provide seed money to establish programs and initiatives that AGI will

coordinate.

As an in-house advisory group, AGI will provide advice and counsel to ARI on

specific projects during 2011 and beyond. Some of the projects for 2011 include:

· Establishment of a consulting and services group to serve ARI and

other organizations with respect to services and employment for adults with ASD

· Creation of topical information handouts for families of and

professionals who serve adults with ASD

· Collaboration to develop an adult services track for ARI conferences

· Outreach and awareness raising of adult issues and concerns at ARI

conference and events

· Content and other support for the ARI Adults with ASD E-Bulletin

· Advisory support for ARI's soon to be launched web site, autism.jobs

· Monthly representation in the ARI Adult Services teleconference

meetings

· Co-authorship of a resource book that provides detailed surveys of

living options for adults on the spectrum across the nation, from agricultural

communities to group homes to assisted living and more.

Seed money funding from ARI, as well as funding from other outside sources, will

enable AGI to launch additional initiatives such as:

· Development and research on the Hane Face Window, a facial recognition

system that is currently in development by AGI member, Ruth Elaine Hane

· Strategic planning and support for an international fundraising

campaign to cross country ski across the country of Greenland, led by AGI member

and athlete Nussbaum

· Creation, implementation and research on a comprehensive adult

services curriculum and professional development series.

Families, professionals and individuals with autism face significant challenges

in the upcoming decade as there will be an exponential rise in the need for

adult programs, living options, and employment across the spectrum. AGI members

feel that solutions to some of these challenges can be found within the adult

autistic community itself. That is why AGI is making its comprehensive adult

services curriculum and professional development series a primary focus over the

next three years, with an eye on supporting agencies, schools, universities,

employers, group homes, day programs, the allied health professions and more.

Not only do AGI members have the formal experience and education to develop

these original training programs, they offer the added benefit of being people

with autism themselves. Their curricula and workshops come from hard-won insight

and personal trials they themselves have transformed into useful and inspiring

tools and methods for the greater autism community. In 2011, AGI will produce

and implement the first phase of training modules, a professional development

series that teaches the philosophy and values of self-determination and

person-centeredness as they apply to employment of people with adult. After

2011, AGI intends to expand trainings and develop further curricula that span

living options, community integration, and health and wellness.

Currently in the United States, there are 1.5 million individuals with autism

spectrum conditions, 80% of whom are under the age of 22. As these young people

with autism age into the adult years, existing programs and services will be

overwhelmed. Through its initiatives, AGI aims to play a role in the creation of

infrastructure for adults with autism, in improving the quality of adult

services, and in the public dialogue that shapes the mainstream view of who

adults with ASD are and what they have to offer in their communities as

employees and citizens.

The Autistic Global Initiative consists of 12 members who, together, represent a

breadth of experience professionally, personally and autistically. Our members

include: Ruth Elaine Hane, Ken Brewer, Paradiz, Janine , Judy

Endow, Sondra , Nussbaum, Zosia Zaks, Robyn Heffelfinger, Penny

McMullen, Shank and Joiner. To contact AGI, send us email at

agi@....

Paradiz is Editor-in-Chief of the Adults with ASD ARI E-Bulletin. She

works as Director of Special Projects at ARI as well as developing programs and

curricula for children and adults with autism spectrum and other conditions.

Janine is a contributing editor to Adults with ASD ARI E-Bulletin. She

works as a research associate at the Center for Community Inclusion and

Disability Studies in the University of Maine's Center for Excellence in

Developmental Disabilities. Ken Brewer is a visual artist and graphic designer

from Los Angeles, CA. Paradiz, Janine and Ken Brewer are

founding members of AGI.

Click for printable pdf

Finding a Way for Vijay

Our Family's Search for Adult Services Nationwide

Bryson

Finding services, resources and supports for an adult with autism is

challenging. Parents often place high expectations on themselves because they

feel responsible for the safety of their children on the spectrum and wish to

protect them. As a single mother raising my 28-year-old son Vijay-who has

non-verbal autism-ensuring his well-being is a daily struggle. Although his

father and other family members have chosen not to be involved in his life, his

two sisters, Anita and Sumeeta, have been a great source of love and support.

But love of a family is not enough. My son does not have a quality of life that

is equal to his neurotypical peers, even though, when Vijay was born, he was

promised equal opportunity with no discrimination based on color, national

origin, race or disability.

Each morning, I wake Vijay up, help him dress and assist him through his hygiene

routine. His daily staff arrives and serves him breakfast, after which he

attends his day program with other adults with disabilities. Part of Vijay's day

treatment schedule includes volunteering at the program's office where he shreds

documents and participates in community activities with his peers. When his day

ends, Vijay returns home, has dinner and engages in art projects or a family

activity. Then, he is given a bath, takes his medication and goes to bed. Our

family would like to think Vijay enjoys his days, but knowing if that is true is

difficult, since he cannot directly communicate his wants and needs. One thing

we do understand is that his quality of life would be enhanced significantly if

he had more choice of services available in his community.

When my son was first diagnosed with autism in 1986, the diagnostic ratio was 1

in 8,000 births. Today the ratio is 1 in 110. Due to the steadily growing

numbers of adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum there is an

urgent demand for appropriate and effective services. Unfortunately, the need

for such services continues to far exceed the available resources, leaving a

generation of people with autism and their families in financial and personal

crises.

In the United States, what an individual does for a living, where he works, how

he lives and what membership he maintains in his community are crucial in

defining quality of life. Too frequently, individuals with autism remain

isolated at home because they do not have the supports they need to pursue a

better quality of life.

When an individual is fortunate enough to have support through adult service

providers, other obstacles can arise, such as a high turnover rate of

inadequately trained staff. This can lead to services that look more like

babysitting than provision of support to pursue one's goals in life. In our

home, staff come and go so frequently I sometimes don't remember their names. In

such a situation, the support from a caregiver becomes ineffectual, because all

that person really does is act as a physical body to fulfill the Individual

Service Plan (ISP) and nothing more. Occasionally, we do get lucky. Vijay is

blessed to have one current staff person who genuinely cares abut him and who

wants to see him reach his goals.

My son receives services through the Developmental Disabilities Office of West

Virginia's Waiver Medicaid Program, which provides services to 440 individuals

on the autism spectrum age 25 and over. The Waiver qualification assessment

process for an adult on the spectrum essentially decides how services are

purchased, who provides them, and the amount of time they may be provided. To

identify the person's needs, West Virginia uses three assessments in the Waiver

program: the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP), the Supports

Intensity Scale (SIS) and the Extraordinary Care Assessment (ECA). These

assessments are completed by a trained evaluator who interviews three of the

consumer's family members, the case manager and a behavioral consultant. Once

this information is gathered, it is logged into an algorithm that results in a

budget. This method, however, is not nuanced enough to pick up characteristics

of autism spectrum disorder, and, all too often, the calculation leads to

exclusion of the individual from receiving Waiver services or to limited

services that do not meet real needs.

An appropriate and comprehensive qualifying evaluation for adults with autism

has not been developed. The current assessments, which emphasize Vijay's

deficits, don't show his strengths, and there is no resulting person-centered

plan for improving his quality of life. The heart of the problem is the

assessment process itself. If we had a better way of evaluating each

individual's unique challenges and strengths, we would be better equipped to

provide not only an appropriate amount of service and support, but more

accurately matched service and support to the individual.

There is a crisis in adult autism services throughout the United States. Many

funding sources have dried up. Yet, because of increased diagnostic rates of

children with autism in the past ten years, we are expecting a tidal wave of

adults with autism in need of services. Additionally, a lack in funding for

residential facilities leads more adults with autism to live at home with their

parents compared to their neurotypical peers. In 2002, the national percentage

of people with autism living with their families was 75% for those age 15 to 29,

and 32% for those age 30 to 44 (1). In the state of West Virginia, I volunteer

for Team Autism, a grassroots effort consisting of autism service providers and

supporters whose aim is to develop a seamless system of service (2). A

committee I serve on within Team Autism is assigned specifically to

investigating adult services, and, like many other states, we have discovered

that there is very little support available, particularly for individuals with

moderate to severe challenges.

Families with adult children on the autism spectrum have many concerns. The

future is uncertain. Unlike parents of typical children, I feel that I must not

get sick or have my own personal life because of the constant worry of who will

protect Vijay and provide what he needs when I am no longer able to do so. We

must overhaul our adult services systems, so that Vijay and other adults on the

spectrum like him will receive the support they need to pursue a higher quality

of life. I dream of my son graduating from college, starting a career or

settling down and having a family. Together, we must create our own light at the

end of the tunnel. One step in the right direction would be for Congress to

reauthorize the Combating Autism Act, with an emphasis on the provision of

quality services for adults throughout the United States. Then, instead of

witnessing our young adults with autism flounder when they turn 21 and begin

seeking adult services, we would begin to enjoy the same enthusiasm that other

families do as their children embark upon their adult lives.

[1]Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism, A Comprehensive Service System

for Adults with Autism (September, 2006)

[2]You can find more information on our efforts at

http://sites.google.com/site/wvteamautism.

Bryson is an advocate for her son and all West Virginia families with

children on the autism spectrum who need support. She has a B.S. in Legal

Studies and works as an Intake & Family Resource Coordinator for the West

Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University.

Click for printable pdf

News You Can Use: Current Events & Trends

ARI Conference in Atlanta features one-day track devoted to adults on the

spectrum

In conjunction with the ARI Conference being held April 28-May 1, the Autistic

Global Initiative (AGI), a new program sponsored by ARI, announces the first

one-day conference track devoted to issues and concerns related to adults on the

spectrum and those who support them. The Adults Track will be held on Sunday,

May 1. The AGI is a collaborative of individuals with autism who provide

in-house advisory and consulting services to ARI, as well as to other

organizations in the disability community. Make sure to stop by the AGI booth in

the vendors' hall where you can meet and greet members of the collaborative and

ask questions about adult services and concerns. Workshops offered in the adult

services track will cover topics that include: the Hane Face Window, law

enforcement and legal issues, transition and young adulthood, and a panel on

medical and biomedical treatment for adults. Speakers include Ruth Elaine Hane,

Dennis Debbaudt, Judy Endow, Sherry Moyer, Joiner, Sondra ,

Janine and Laurion. For more information, use the links below.

ARI Conference Information and Registration: http://www.ariconference.com/

ARI Conference Adult Services Track:

http://ariconference.com/atlanta/adults.html

Autism Recognition, Response & Risk Management Training Conference

As the rate of autism spectrum disorders has grown, law enforcement and first

response professionals are more likely to come into contact with children and

adults with autism. This free training provides information and best practices

for interacting with children and adults who are affected by ASD. Focus is on

increasing safety and enhancing officer, investigator and responder

communication and response skills, as well as building community partnerships.

Sponsored by the Autism Research Institute (ARI), The Autism Society of North

Carolina and the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal, the training will

be held March 4, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information or to

register, follow the link below.

http://www.ncdoi.com/osfm/rpd/pt/Documents/Announcements/AutismConferenceBrochur\

e.pdf

Autistic People, People First - Naturally Autistic ANCA Radio Show

In 2009, ANCA began a series of radio talk discussions that include features of

Rainbowland Autism Services and the autism HWY Friendship Network for Families.

Weekly shows are showcased in advance, via ANCA's YouTube account and on its

Facebook group page and web site (www.naturallyautistic.com). The ANCA

Foundation's mission is to support the natural development of autistic people by

providing education and training to autistic individuals, their families and the

community at large. ANCA values compassion, understanding and diversity and aims

to help others understand autism " from the inside out. " To listen to the radio

shows and find other information about ANCA, use the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/l/3ecc1KcBLiXHUyVwRYihke-2_IQ;www.naturallyautistic.com

Autism Works: A National Conference on Autism and Employment

Autism Works, a national conference on autism and employment, will be held March

3-4, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. The conference will bring together the

disability employment services community (including vocational rehabilitation)

and the autism community to learn from each other and to improve employment

options for adults with autism. Topics will include: understanding the

vocational rehabilitation (VR) process, what VR counselors need to know about

autism, job development and workplace supports, funding possibilities for

employment supports, and insights from working youth with autism. The University

of Missouri's Disability Policy and Studies Office, along with Integrated

Behavioral Systems, are sponsoring this national conference. Registration is

$205 for two days, $125 for one day. For more information, visit

http://www.dps.missouri.edu/Autism/Announcement02.html.

Autism Speaks Publishes Transition Tool Kit

The Autism Speaks Transition Tool Kit was created to serve as a guide to assist

families on the journey from adolescence to adulthood. The Kit is designed to

serve as a guide to help families begin to plan for adulthood. The guiding

principle in the Kit is that all individuals with autism, regardless of the

level of support needed, should be able to live lives filled with purpose,

dignity, choices and happiness. The Kit is divided into sections, with resources

listed at the end of each section. Sections include:

Self Advocacy

Transition Planning

Community Living

Employment & Other Options

Post-Secondary Educational Opportunities

Housing

Legal Matters

Health

Internet & Technology

Getting Organized

Anyone can download the Transition Tool Kit for free! For more information,

click on the following link:

http://www.autismspeaks.org/community/family_services/transition.php

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Directory

The Vocational Rehabilitation Service Models and Autism Spectrum Disorders

project (University of Central Florida Center for Autism and Related

Disabilities) is collecting information from state directors of vocational

rehabilitation services about specialty counselors (or lead counselors) dealing

with individuals with ASD who are interested in seeking vocational

rehabilitation service supports. This directory is intended to help consumers

and families make contacts with the vocational rehab system.

Individuals and contact information have been provided by state Vocational

Rehabilitation agencies. This list is updated when new information is made

available. Click on the link below to scroll through the list of contacts by

state. The current directory includes contacts for the following states:

Delaware, land, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina,

Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia,

Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Additional states and contact information

will be added upon receipt from Vocational Rehabilitation administrators.

http://autism.sedl.org/index.php?option=com_content & view=article & id=77 & Itemid=12\

7

Study Participants Needed for NIMH Study of Adults with ASD

Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health are looking for adults

with Autism Spectrum Disorders to participate in our new brain imaging research

study in Bethesda, land. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects

of oxytocin and vasopressin on brain activity in adults with Autism Spectrum

Disorders using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Compensation will

be provided. For more information about participation in this study, please

call 301-496-6807 (TTY: 1-866-411-1010) or e-mail NIMH-ASD@....

National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department

of Health & Human Services.

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