March 4th Autism/Disability Networking Group in Houston -- special speaker!

[Guest guest]

The Dan Center is proud to bring bel Stehli and her daughter Georgie to speak in Houston at Graceview Baptist Church, route 249 in Tomball on MARCH 4 at 7pm (books available for signing at 6:30pm).

The story of Georgie's remarkable recovery from Autism is compelling, as it was documented in bel's first book, "The Sound of a Miracle: A Child's Triumph Over Autism". For the first time in Houston, you will hear the story first hand from BOTH bel and Georgie (who has her degree, is an accomplished artist, is married and has a beautiful daughter, and is fluent in 9 languages).

This seminar is for parents, teachers, caregivers and therapists.

Please RSVP to MGuppy@... so we can ensure seating for all.

Also, childcare is available, but you need to request it to MGuppy@...

by SUNDAY, February 28. Please feel free to call the Dan Center if you have any questions .

=======================================================================The Power of a Mother's Lovesummarized from the Litchfield County Times Monthly written by Ransom, March 2006.As a child, Georgiana refused to blow out the candles on her birthday cake - the sound of air passing through her lips echoed like the voices of monsters in her head. Sounds had a bizarre effect on bel Stehli's daughter, Georgiana. Insects pounded her ears with the force of chainsaws, the methodic pump of blood through her veins petrified her. Yet Georgiana, unable to speak during her earliest years, suffered in silence in her own private world. Georgiana was autistic. It was the late 1960s, and Ms. Stehli feared the Georgiana was destined for a bleak future. Never could Ms. Stehli have imagined that through a groundbreaking therapy, the Berard Method of

Auditory Integration Training (AIT), Georgiana would escape the constraints and isolation of autism. Ms. Stehli is credited with bringing AIT to mainstream America, sparking a revolution in the international medical and autism community, and raising awareness about how special-needs children and their parents are treated. "One of the things I love to do is validate the intelligence of so-called retarded people," she said. "My life is an open book - literally," said Ms. Stehli referring to her book, which has become a mainstay for parents with special-needs children and a worldwide phenomena, featured in Reader's Digest and on the "Sally Raphael Show", "Larry King Live," and "20/20." It's difficult to imagine that Ms. Stehli, with her radiant smile and exuberant energy, could have ever been the shattered housewife, desperately

searching to find a cure for her two ailing daughters, so eloquently and heartbreakingly described in her memoir. Ms. Stehli knew immediately that something was wrong, It was May 24, 1965, when Georgiana entered the world, a month early, barely letting out a cry or grasping an outstretched finger. As the months wore onto years, Georgiana's behavior remained oddly withdrawn and unresponsive. Though Ms Stehli had her suspicions, it wasn't until she read a newspaper article on autism that her misgivings seem to be confirmed. In the book, Ms. Stehli recounts the downward spiral of events that unfold in her life - her first child, Dotsie, is diagnosed with leukemia and dies, her first husband abandons the family and she is urged to institutionalize Georgiana. In an era when developmental disabilities were still misunderstood, Ms. Stehli faced endless condemnation over Georgiana's

disability. Doctors told her point blank it was her fault, that "the mother's of such in fact fail to react appropriately to their baby's needs." Other mothers criticized her for "babying her too much," and paradoxically, "not giving her enough attention." Strangers in the grocery store made snide remarks, linking Ms. Stehli's disorganized purse with bad parenting. At some points, even Ms. Stehli blamed herself. Despite Georgiana's dismal prognosis, and despite the girl being labeled "retarded" and "severely emotionally disturbed," Ms. Stehli refused to give up. While living in Europe with her second husband, Stehli, she learned of an avant-garde autism therapy called AIT, performed by a French otolaryngologist, Dr. Guy Berard. AIT corrects auditory sensitivity and distortions through intensive music therapy, played at varying frequencies, 30 minutes twice daily for 10 days. The wide-frequency essentially "massages" the brain, reducing painful hearing and allowing the brain to better comprehend sounds. Sensory distortions, particularly auditory, are common in autistic children, and may account for many " autistic behaviors." Although AIT is primarily used on autism, Dr. Berard's research has fond other disorders that benefit from AIT, such as dyslexia, depression and attention deficit. Not long after receiving AIT, Georgiana began to change, For the first time, noise was tolerable, sounds made sense, She excelled in European public schools, earning A's in German taught in French, going on to complete college and graduate school with honors. Today she lives in Oregon with her husband and child, is a successful artist, businesswoman, international autism advocate and public speaker who is fluent in nine

languages. After returning to America, Ms. Stehli was contacted by Dr. Bernard Rimland, director of the Autism Research Institute in California, who had run double-blind trials on AIT, finding the results impressive. Hearing of Georgiana's success, he urged Ms. Stehli to write a book on her experiences. Inspired, Ms. Stehli founded the support and informational network The Georgiana Institute. But there still remained a problem - AIT was only available in Europe. In the 1990s, the Stehli's invited Dr. Beard to America to train medical professionals on AIT, and found an American company to manufacture AIT equipment with FDA approval. Currently, there are many medical

professionals who administer AIT across the country. Ms. Stehli became the editor of two more books, "Dancing in the Rain: Stories of Exceptional Progress by Parents of Children with Special Needs" and "Sound of Falling Snow: Stories of Recovery from Autism and Related Conditions," which have been reprinted in numerous languages. In addition, she travels the world speaking on autism and AIT. "I like to treat people who are never treated normally, normally," she said. "There are so many people locked away [in institutions] who could be redeemed if we gave them a break."

M. Guppy

www.MGuppy.blogspot.com

Help out a girl - buy her calendar!

"The 2010 Autism Awareness Calendar for Texas" - click here to purchase:

http://www.houstonautismdisabilitynetwork.com/2010-calendars/

For more immediate help with information & resources for Autism Spectrum Disorders: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas-Autism-Advocacy/