Guest guest Posted July 4, 2001 Report Share Posted July 4, 2001 some of you probably already receive FEAT, but for those of you who don't, this one looks especially interesting...especially the first two subjects.. Penny ______________________________________________________ July 3, 2001 Search www.feat.org/search/news.asp Also: * A Look At Special Needs Trusts * New to Autism? * ASA Conference Reminder Autism Society of America Election Results Are In [This ‘victory speech’ comes from Lee Grossman, President elect of the Autism Society of America. A hearty congratulations to Lee and to the ASA. -ls] Dear Friends: The election results of the Autism Society of America (ASA) autism-society.org were released today. I am happy and excited to report that I have been elected President of the Society. My term officially will begin after the Annual Meeting to be held in San Diego on July 21. First of all, I would like to thank Guarino for his continued dedication to ASA. Few have the passion and the commitment that demonstrates towards this organization and the Autism Community. It will be an honor to work beside him and the ASA Foundation. Second, we all must show our deep gratitude to Audrey Horne for her leadership of ASA over the past 4 years. Her stewardship has brought the Society forward and has established a foundation upon which we are now " turning the corner " and moving towards a much greater future. And third, and most important, I wish to thank all of you for the tremendous out pouring of support you have shown towards me and what I hope to accomplish. We are on the verge of making our Society a true leader in the Autism Community and bringing significant benefit to the lives of all those affected by Autism. The Society will be undergoing substantial change over the next few months to recreates itself and build upon the successes of its past. These changes will allow the Society to better respond to the needs of our membership, make us proactive in policy and service development and affirm itself as the true voice and resource of the Autism Community. Together we will make this happen for ourselves, our families and our children. * * * A Look At Special Needs Trusts A primer: what special needs trust should do [by Heyamoto Seattle Times. Attorneys who specialize in providing these services are welcome to let us know who you are so that we may share this with the readers: editor@... . Also: See ‘New To Autism?’ below for a list of other FEAT Newsletter primers.] http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?s lug=arc02 & date=20010702 Special-needs trusts are increasingly becoming a standard tool to secure the financial future of a child or adult with a disability. Much like a corporation, the trust is a legal entity that can make money through its assets. If the trust included stocks, it could have dividends and capital gains. Families can work with banks or financial planners to administer the trust. Usually money is set aside in a bank account that the child will need within a few years. The rest is invested in ventures such as mutual funds or government bonds so the funds keep up with the cost of living. A trust insulates the assets from creditors. Legal language should state that money set aside in a trust cannot be claimed by anyone other than the beneficiary and can't be used for any other reason than to promote that child's welfare. The trust can hold anything of value, from money to a residence to stocks. The assets are in the care of a trustee chosen by the family. But depending on the level of disability, planning for a child's financial future may involve more personal responsibility on the part of the trustee. " It's so complicated and there's so much to it, " said Jody Reimer, who heads a parent support group at the Arc of King County, an organization that serves people with developmental disabilities and their families www.arcofkingcounty.org. " If I were to die tomorrow, even my husband may not know all the special routines for (our son). It's about a lot more than how the person is going to survive financially. " Before setting up a trust, a family must decide: • How important it is for the child to receive government aid. • Whether to set up a special-needs trust or simply bequeath money or assets if the child does not need public assistance. • Who will act as trustee. • Whether the trust will be activated immediately or upon the parent's death. • Whom to rely on to draft the trust. • Whether to include a letter of intent explaining the parents' wishes for use of the assets. Nonprofit service agencies such as the Arc often refer families to attorneys for help setting up a special-needs trust. Though the Arc provides information about the trusts and even offers a list of attorneys that specialize in estate planning, workers do not recommend any financial routes. For most families, choosing the trustee is the hardest part of setting up the trust. Simply naming one of the parents doesn't take into account the possibility of his or her death. Naming someone nearer to the child's age might be necessary. Choosing other family members can present complications, such as family conflict and divorce. There are other services to care for the child's personal needs, which may not include managing money. Some families hire a professional guardian. A fledgling organization in Seattle called Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network is trying to organize a local network of people to care for each child, rather than using just one caretaker. Seattle attorney Larry said a reliable attorney who is familiar with special-needs trusts is crucial in setting one up. Many attorneys work on a sliding scale depending on the family's income. Prices can vary greatly. Some local financial institutions such as Seattle-based Northwestern Trust work with attorneys to administer the trusts. Copyright © 2001 The Seattle Times Company >> DO SOMETHING ABOUT AUTISM NOW << Subscribe, Read, then Forward the FEAT Daily Newsletter. To Subscribe go to www.feat.org/FEATnews No Cost! * * * New to Autism? From the FEAT Daily Newsletter archives comes this quick reference list of introductory primers on a variety of topics related to autism. Each readable article, which has been previously posted in the newsletter, usually contains the most up-to-date information on their respective topics, with links to sources with more in depth treatments of the material. This list of articles can be found at: A Look at AIDS - That Other Immune Disease Epidemic A Look at Alzheimer's A Look at Asperger's Syndrome A Look at Autoimmune Theories of Autism/ Groups Sue to Stop A Look at Cerebral Palsy A Look at Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Hits Women A Look at Crohn's Disease - Differs by Gender A Look at Down Syndrome A Look at Drug Treatments for Depression A Look at Facilitated Communication A Look at Fast ForWord: Retraining Your Brain A Look at Fast ForWord®: 1st Study Confirms Efficacy After 6 Mos. A Look at Free Sulphate Theory and Autism A Look at Gene Therapy A Look at Genetic Testing A Look at Gluten/Casein Theories and Autism A Look at Gluten/Casein, Dietary Theories A Look at Landau-Kleffner Syndrome A Look at 'Leaky Gut' Theories of Autism A Look at Memory A Look at Opioid Excess Theories Causing Autism A Look at Prednisone in Treating Autism A Look at Private Funding for the Previous Epidemic: AIDS A Look at 'Refrigerator Moms' A Look at Savants (with Autism and Without) A Look at Schizophrenia A Look at Siblings - Giving a Voice A Look at Speech & Language: Talk to Me A Look at TEACCH - An Intervention System for Autism A Look at the Autism Link Page A Look at the Brain - Anatomy and Function - Part II A Look at the Brain - Part I A Look at the Brain- C Cortex, Brain Waves, Chemical Activity- Part III A Look at the EDLAW Center: Special Ed. Law Site A Look at the Genetics of Autism A Look at the Human Genome Initiative A Look at The Method - A Cognitive-Developmental Systems Approach to Therapy A Look at Theory of Mind A Look at Treatment Resistant Depression A Look at Vaccinations and Autism Theories A Look at Vaccinations and Autism Theories - Revisited A Look at Vaccinations: How They Work A Look at Vaccinations: How They Work - Addendum A Look at Asperger's Syndrome All of this material is copyrighted so permission to reproduce would have to come from the author or publisher of each article - and not from FEAT). * * * ** AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA ** Presents JULY 22 8:30 am LENNY SCHAFER Editor of the FEAT Daily Newsletter ASA Conference 2001 “Millennium of Hope” San Diego SPEAKING ON: The Politics of Autism - 2002 Please Join Lenny Schafer at his presentation on current events that effect professionals, parents, and individuals dealing with Autism. Schafer edits The acclaimed FEAT Daily Newsletter which has earned the praise of both autism Parents and professionals. “This newsletter is absolutely fantastic in its breadth and fairness of coverage. You are doing an excellent job.” Blakeslee, science writer for The New York Times. “Thanks for a fine publication.” Marilee P. Ogren Ph.D., Medical Writer from the New England Journal of Medicine The editor of the FEAT Daily newsletter looks at the consequences of an epidemic of autism without political advocacy and leadership to defend the needs of the upcoming torrent of toddlers with ASD. Explored are how individual families can prepare themselves for inevitable service shortages and cutbacks. In addition to being the founder and editor of the five-year-old FEAT Daily Newsletter, he is a former vice president and current board member of Families for Early Autism Treatment in Sacramento, CA. Please Plan to attend the entire ASA Conference 2001, “Millennium of Hope” in San Diego the July 18 to July 22 Other top speakers at the Conference will include presentations on Communication, Education, Family and Community, Medicine and Research and Adulthood and Independence As the largest national conference on autism this year's event will provide the most current information available in the autism field. For registration, exhibiting, advertising, or sponsoring, contact ASA Conference 2001 at: _______________________________________________________ Lenny Schafer, Editor PhD Ron Sleith Kay Stammers Editor@... Unsubscribe: FEATNews-signoff-request@... CALENDAR OF EVENTS submissions to Guppy events@... ---------------End of Original Message----------------- Penny -------------------------------------------------------- " What a way to promote Autism Awareness Month - please encourage people at your school, church, or neighborhood to see this video. - I also encourage my friends to add this URL to their signature line and help spread the word! " If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away. " --Henry Thoreau Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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