A message from Doug & Laurie Flutie

[Guest guest]

Dear Parents and Professionals,

We would like to invite you to attend our second annual

conference:

Autism Update 2001. This year's conference is being held April

27 &

28 2001 at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts. Once

again,

the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism will co-sponsor this

conference with Children Making Strides, a Massachusetts

agency that

provides resources and services for children diagnosed with

autism

spectrum disorders.

One of the goals of the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation is to

serve as a

clearinghouse for information on innovative programs and

services for

people with Autism. This conference will provide information

on a

wide variety of topics, addressing the needs of children with

autism of

all ages. A number of national experts will present on the

latest trends

and directions in providing services to those with Autism. We

are

especially pleased to have a number of professionals speaking

this year

who are also themselves parents or grandparents of children

with

autism spectrum disorder. During the conference, you will have

the

opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the

fields of

education, medicine, advocacy and research, as well as new and

updated treatments and program initiatives. Autism Update 2001

should be of great interest to families, teachers, educators

and

therapists alike.

For the first time this year, we are pleased to offer a number

of

scholarships to those parents who would otherwise be unable to

attend

the conference. We will be able to offer Parent Scholarships

of up to

50% off the conference fee for families on an as-needed basis.

As the

number of scholarships is limited, please sign up early to be

considered

for this program. In addition, the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation

has also

underwritten a portion of the speaker fees for the conference,

enabling

all parents attending to pay a lower fee than would have

otherwise

been charged.

Those of us whose families have been touched by Autism know

how

very alone we can sometimes feel. It takes a tremendous amount

of

energy to keep up with the challenges of parenting and

ensuring that

our children receive the best possible services. We hope you

will come

together with us to gain knowledge from professionals as well

as to

network with other families to exchange ideas and develop new

resources. Together we can do great things for our children!

We look forward to seeing you at the conference.

Sincerely,

Doug and Laurie Flutie - Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for

Autism

Note: some of the conference topics include:

Using ABA in the classroom

The Role of the Shadow/Aide

Apraxia

Vaccinations

Sensory Activities

For complete information , please go to www.childrenmakingstrides.com

Or contact Children Making Strides at (508) 759-6754