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Ellen Garber Bronfeld

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News from The Child and Family Law Center of the North Shore

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April 2011

The Child and Family Law Center of the North Shore

Newsletter

AUTISM ISSUE

In This Issue

Autism: A Look Back

Autism Summit 2011 - Save the Date

Autism Awareness Days in Illinois

TV documentary - Autism: Coming of Age

Wretches and Jabberers

PBS NewsHour Autism Series

Featured Colleague: Teri Steinberg

Autism Speaks Resources

Legislative Update

Announcements and Upcoming Events:

Autism Summit 2011: A Day with the Experts

4/30/11

see article this issue

...

PBS Documentary Autism: Coming of Age

WTTW Channel 11

Sunday, April 3, 3:00 p.m.

...

Wretches and Jabberers

Saturday, April 9, Noon

AMC South Barrington 30

...

Center for Independent Futures

Spring Fundraiser - SPARK 2011

April 15, 2011

7 - 11 p.m.

SPARK 2011

...

Have Dreams

3rd Annual Gala

Friday, May 6, 2011

JW Marriot

Chicago

Night of Dreams

...

2011 Chicago Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Saturday

May 21,2011

Walk Now

...

Selected Upcoming Speaking Engagements for Micki Moran:

Have Dreams

April 12, 2011

ITAP Training

The IEP Process for Students on the Autism Spectrum

ISBE Special Education Director's Conference

July 2011

Hot Legal Topics

...

New " Colleague of the Month " column...Tell us what you

do and we'll feature you in our newsletter!

Send us your announcements!

Is your group or organization having and event? Email us

or call our office at 847-926-0101 with the information and The Child & Family

Law Center will be happy to publish it in our newsletter.

Quick Links

Click on the links to Follow Micki Moran on her blogs:

Kidslaw Blog

Special Education Blog

Click on the link to View our website :

www.lawforchild.com

Register Now

About Us

Related Toics

The Child and Family Law Center, Ltd.

1950 Sheridan Rd.

Suite 201

Highland Park, IL 60035

847-926-0101

We provide representation in the following Northern

Illinois counties: Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane, and McHenry.

Dear Ellen,

Hello and Welcome. Each month The Child and

Family Law Center of the North Shore, Ltd. will provide articles of interest and

updates on areas that our office deals with on a regular basis. We appreciate

and welcome feedback, so please feel free to send us an email at

mickim@... with questions or suggestions.

Autism:

A Look Back Sixteen Years Later

Sixteen years ago, I started my special education

law practice. I was determined to make a difference in the lives of children and

families, reclaiming my original reason for becoming a lawyer. One of my first

cases involved a five year old with autism. The parents were seeking a then

relatively novel educational intervention of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for

their son. They were asking that the school district support and fund this home

based program for 40 hours per week and that the program be implemented 52 weeks

a year. I read everything I could about autism and the limited information on

research involving ABA. I had no idea, at the time, that this case would be the

first in an explosion in my practice and in the world of children being

diagnosed with autism. In 1995, it was thought that autism was a rare and not

well understood disorder. Between 1975 and 1985, studies showed that the world

wide rate of autism was about 4 cases per 10,000. Between 1985 and 1995, the

numbers tripled to 12 per 10,000. Little was known about what worked and schools

for the most part had almost no training or programming for these students.

We won the case. That case, T.H. v. Palatine,

educated me and everyone involved about this disorder, and was one of the

bellweathers of what was to come, both legally and educationally. In 2011, the

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240,

with an average of 1 in 110 children in the United States have an Autistic

Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASDs are reported to occur in all racial, ethnic and

socioeconomic groups, yet are on average 4 to 5 times more likely to occur in

boys than in girls. It is estimated that approximately 730,000 individuals

between the ages of 0 to 21 have an ASD. The school struggles remain constant

but there are available research based interventions for children with autism

that improve with each year. Parents have banded together and the internet has

made access to information accessible to most families. A decade and a half

later, many of the young children I represented are now adults and their parents

are struggling with what comes next for them. These same parents are fighting to

bring intervention, assistance and quality of life to their adult children. I am

humbled by the tireless efforts of the families, the children and everyone who

joined the fight to improve the quality of life for those affected by autism. It

has been an honor to be a small part of that battle.

Thank you to everyone.

Autism Summit 2011:

A Day with the Experts

Saturday, April 30, 2011

8:30 am - 3:00 pm

Trinity International University*

2065 Half Day Road

Rodine Building

Deerfield, IL 60015

Parents, professionals, teachers and

administrators are invited to attend this exciting, new conference hosted by The

Child and Family Law Center.

Hear presentations given by experts in the field

of autism. Share information informally during lunch, at a resource fair, and

during a Q & A panel.

Topics to Include:

a.. Legal issues in special education-IEP

development and transition

b.. The use of Medication to treat Autism

c.. Diagnostic evaluations

d.. Research based intervention and making sense

of the research

e.. Guardianship and special needs trusts;

f.. Benefits

g.. Planning for life after school stops;

h.. Funding, programs and housing options for

adults

i.. Microboards and Coops

and more...

Speakers to include: Micki Moran, J.D., Tom Owley,

M.D., Loftin, Ph.D., Joe Scally, J.D.,Teri Steinberg, Sherri Schneider

LCSW, and Center for Independent Futures. More speakers to be announced.

Cost: $35.00 including continental breakfast and

box lunch.

CPDUs provided.

Click for a brochure and registration forms.

Call our office, 847-926-0101, or email

karenr@... for more information.

*This is not a function of Trinity International

University

AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

2011: Think Globally, Act Locally.

Attend Autism Awareness Day in Chicago or

Springfield and help turn awareness into action.

Autism Awareness Day Chicago

Friday, April 8th

Resource Fair from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Center Lobby

Autism Awareness Day Springfield

Thursday, April 14th

Resource Fair from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

State Capitol Rotunda

Meet with legislators, rally on behalf of

individuals with autism, learn about autism specific services in our state.

Hosted by Giant Steps and The Autism Society of

Illinois.

Call 630-691-1270 or go to

Autism Society of Illinois

for information.

Mass Mutual Presents

Autism: Coming of Age

Autism doesn't end with your child turns 22. A new

television documentary produced by award winning filmmaker, Sager,

will highlight the lives of three adults and their families, and the challenges

they face.

Autism: Coming of Age will air in Chicagoland on

the PBS Station WTTW Channel 11 on Sunday, April 3, 2011, at 3:00 p.m. and will

be rerun on Sunday, April 10, at 4:00 a.m.

In the new film, Wretches and Jabberers, Academy

Award winning filmmaker, Geraldine Wurzburg, follows two men with autism as they

embark on a global quest to change attitudes about disability, intelligence and

communication. Determined to put a new face on autism, Thresher, 42, and

Larry Bissonnette, 52, travel to Sri Lanka, Japan and Finland. At each stop,

they dissect public attitudes about autism and issue a hopeful challenge to

reconsider competency and the future.

During the month of April, to commemorate Autism

Awareness Month, Wretches and Jabberers will play at selected AMC Theaters

around the country.

In the Chicago area, Wretches and Jabberers will

play at AMC South Barrington 30 on Saturday, April 9, 2011, at 12:00 p.m.

Wretches and Jabberers

AMC Barrington South 30

" PBS NewsHour " Series on Autism

PBS NewsHour has announced that veteran

journalist, MacNeil, will be returning to the show in April for a six

part series about autism. The series will focus on the experience of children

with autism, it's impact on families, medical research into the causes of

autism, and public policy issues.

Both Mr. MacNeil and producer Caren Zucker have a

personal conncection with the topic. Mr. MacNeil's 6 year-old grandson has been

diagnosed with autism and Ms. Zucker's 16 year-old son is on the autistic

spectrum.

The PBS NewsHour series on Autism is scheduled to

air from April 18th through April 26th.

Featured Colleague: Teri Steinberg

When Teri Steinberg's child received a diagnosis

on the autism spectrum in 1997, Teri began her long journey as a community

activist, turning her energies towards helping other families struggling with

autism.

Teri is the Chicago Regional Organizer for the

Illinois Association of Microboards and atives, through a grant from the

Illinois Council of Developmental Disabilities. She develops and trains

Microboards (small groups) and Human Services atives for individuals with

disabilities and their Board of Directors in keeping with the principles of

self-determination, power over their choices, and responsibility to make

decisions and have control in receiving and directing their services, asserting

their rights, and living an inclusive life in their communities. Teri is also

the Vice President of the Steinberg Microboard, Inc.

Previously, Teri was a Community Partner with the

Illinois Autism Training & Technical Assistance Project, through a grant from

Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE), to support families and children with

Autism Spectrum Disorders through family centered planning and assessment

processes.

Teri has leveraged strong relationships with civic

leaders, local media and business executives. She has been interviewed live many

times for television and radio programs, as well as newspapers, due to her

service on civic boards. Teri worked with fund development committees and

financial administration staff to execute events and programs and chaired

significant fund raising events, such as An Evening With the Stars on

night. Teri was Production Chairperson for WALK NOW FOR AUTISM, where 11,000

people raised an estimate 1.2 million dollars.

You can reach Teri to set up an information

session or a PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope) at

teri_steinberg@... and visit the website at www.iambc.org to download and

view the online sessions, trainings and a calendar of upcoming events. This is a

free resource to people with disabilities and their families.

Join us on Facebook and join the IAMC Listserve

A life changed for the better is practice based

evidence.

The Illinois Association of Microboards and

atives is intended for those who want to explore possibilities of

alternative services for themselves or their loved ones. The project assists

persons with disabilities and their families and friends to create non-profit

corporations that allow them to live self-directed lives through the use of

person-centered planning, community supports and resource management.

Autism Speaks is dedicated to providing

information, tools, and resources to improve the lives of individuals and

families affected by autism.

Some of the resources that have been developed

include:

a.. 100 Day Kit - for newly diagnosed families

b.. Manual de los 100 Dias- 100 day kit in

Spanish

c.. School Community Tool Kit

d.. Autism Video Glossary

e.. Family Services Resource Guide

f.. Resource Library

g.. Autism Speaks Baker Summer Camp Program

Click on the link to access resources in Illinois.

Illinois Resources

Legislative Update: Expert Witness Fees

Recently, legislation was introduced to allow

parents to recover expert witness fees in due process hearings and litigation

under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA Fairness

Restoration Act was introduced in the Senate (S.613) by Senator Harkin (D-IA),

Chair of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator

Mikulski (D-MD), and Senator , (I-VT); and a companion bill was

introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 1208) by Congressman Van

Hollen (D-MD) and Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX).

" This legislation will remove the financial

barrier that families, especially low and middle-income families, face as they

pursue their children's rightrs to the free, appropriate, public education they

deserve and are entitled to under the Fourteenth Amendment, " said Jeff Sell,

Vice President, Public Policy & General Cousel of the Autism Society.

Contact your two U.S. Senators and Representative

and ask them to co-sponsor this important piece of legislation.

The Child and Family Law Center of the North Shore

is a unique legal practice that specializes in providing legal services to

families and children in the areas of special education, IEP consultations,

divorce and custody, parenting agreements, mediation, guardianship and juvenile

law, including criminal law, DCFS and mental health. Where possible, we have

initiated flat fee billing for appropriate matters.

For more information about The Child and Family

Law Center of the North Shore, please call 847-926-0101 or visit our website at

www.lawforchild.com.

Micki Moran

The Child and Family Law Center of the North Shore

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