CARD Constituent's Corner: While You Were Living column #25

[Guest guest]

Muñoz wrote: CONSTITUENTS' CORNER: WHILE YOU WERE LIVING By: Bruce A. Blitman, Esquire Constituency Board Member for Broward County, Florida With the hassles and stresses of daily living, it is

almost impossible to keep up with what's going on in the world of autism and related disabilities. In the twenty-fifth installment of this column, we will continue to share some new information about things we've watched on television and read about in the news. 1. DR. MICHAEL ALESSANDRI RECEIVES MARCH OF DIMES AWARD IN HEALTH CARE: On Friday, November 16, 2007, at Jungle Island in Miami, the March of Dimes held its annual "Building Our Community Awards" ceremony. Dr.

Alessandri, longtime director of the University of Miami's Center for Autism and Related Disabilities in the Department of Psychology, received the award for Health Care. The awards honor individuals and companies who exemplify leadership and whose efforts, on behalf of others, have significantly contributed to the betterment of the Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach communities. Congratulations and many thanks to Dr. Alessandri and his entire staff of dedicated professionals for their extraordinary efforts and contributions. 2. THREE-YEAR-OLD AUTISTIC GIRL'S FINGER PAINTINGS SELL WELL: The November 23, 2007 issue of the Sun-Sentinel featured an interesting article about little Siobhan Forrester of Palm Coast, Florida. Although Siobhan was diagnosed with autism when she was 2 years old, and is mostly nonverbal, she has become an accomplished artist. Her colorful finger paintings on canvas have been displayed at the Neuro Development Center Gallery in Rhode Island. One of her pieces was sold there. Five other pieces have been sold on web sites Etsy and eBay. Her paintings are for sale on her web site www.siobhansdream.org. Smaller pieces go for about $30 to $35, and the

larger canvases sell for $50. Siobhan's parents introduced her to painting as a form of therapy, to get her used to touching things. The sold paintings pay for supplies. The canvases cost about $100 every three weeks. A portion of the money goes to autism charities. Siobhan's mother said that she hopes to start her own nonprofit company one day. 3. MS. JAIMEE SCHULSON PREPARING SENIOR THESIS ON EMERGING ADULTHOOD AND THE AUTISTIC SPECUTRUM: e is a college senior at New College of Florida in Sarasota. She is currently researching her senior thesis on how the

transition to adulthood is experienced by individuals with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome, and how their experiences compare with those of typical emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 25. The purpose of her study is to explore the distinct features of emerging adulthood in those with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome to see if they experience this developmental period and, if so, how does it compare with those experiences of typical emerging adults. e is looking for individuals between the ages of 18 to 25 who would be interested in participating in her study. Participation will most likely involve completing a survey about their perceptions of their adulthood, and their present life views and experiences during transition to adulthood. Anyone interested in this study can contact e for more information at: e Schulson, New College of Florida, 5800 Bay Shore Road, Box 784, Sarasota, Florida 34243 Telephone:

or e-mail her at: e.Schulson@.... 4. LEARNING DIFFERENTLY: The November, 2007 issue of South Florida Parenting magazine contains an excellent article titled "Learning Differently: Schools For Kids With Specific Needs Can Make All The Difference" by freelance writer Frasca. The article discusses options that are available for children with identified learning disabilities, from specialized programs in the public school system to private schools that address specific disabilities or disorders. This article

contains an outstanding guide for Special-Education Resources. South Florida Parenting is published monthly and distributed free at 2,600 locations throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties by Gold Coast Publications, a subsidiary of Sun-Sentinel Co. For more information, please call Publisher Goodlin at or visit the magazine's web site at www.sfparenting.com. 5. WRIGHTS ATTEND AUTISM EVENTS IN GEORGIA AND RECEIVE AWARD: Autism Speaks co-founders Bob and

Suzanne were honored on November 10, 2007 by The Marcus Institute in Atlanta for their work on behalf of children with autism. The day before, the s attended the National Autism Conference in Atlanta, where their daughter delivered a keynote address. 6. AUTISM SPEAKS PARTNERS WITH JIM BRICKMAN: Grammy nominated musician Jim Brickman is donating a portion of proceeds from the sale of his new cookbook and holiday CD to Autism Speaks. For each cookbook and CD purchased together, Jim will donate $7.50. 7. SHOW YOUR STYLE AND YOUR SUPPORT: To show your support for Autism Speaks and elegantly spread autism awareness, you can wear bow ties and cummerbunds created exclusively for Autism Speaks by Mountain & Sackett. Visit Mountain & Sackett to view the new items and the entire collection of Autism Speaks neckties. We

will continue to use this column to exchange information and ideas about autism and related disabilities. If you read an interesting book, article or magazine which discusses new developments relating to autism research, or watch a television show, documentary or movie with an autism-related theme, please let me know about it, so I can share this information with your fellow constituents. Thank you for your continued support of CARD. You can send your information via e-mail to: Bruce A. Blitman, at my e-mail address: BABmediate@... or call me at . Thank you. Best wishes for continued good health, happiness, success and hope. I hope you and your families had a very Happy Thanksgiving and are preparing for a Healthy and Joyous Holiday Season. concor25 *If you would like to be added to our email list or if you would like to be

removed from our email list, please send an email to: jamunoz@... UM-NSU CARD is a state-funded resource and support program dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with autism and related disabilities including deaf-blindness and pervasive developmental disorders. UM-NSU CARD does not endorse specific programs or points of view presented in this email.

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