IAM Meeting

Wednesday, November 11th, 7 to 9 PM

Location: 122 Winslow Way, Winslow Way Cafe

Topics will include on-going fund raising efforts for Bainbridge Island School District's WINGS Program, and Siblings of Children with ASD--Challenges and Opportunities.

Hope to see you there!

RSVP to catb@iam-hope.org

IAM Meeting

Please join us for our first IAM meeting of the school year.

This Wednesday, October 14th at 7 pm--tentative location "Winslow Way Cafe" 122 Winslow.

Please RSVP to catb@iam-hope.org for important meeting details!

Restoring Hope Conference, October 15th

Speakers: Dr. Gary Stobbe and Dr. Brian King

You will have the opportunity to hear from experts on:

* Effective behavioral interventions, sleep disorders, biomedicalinterventions, medications
* Successful school/family partnerships, evidence-based schoolpractices, positive behavior supports, social skills training
* Maintaining your marriage, handling challenging behaviors, parents aslong term care providers, families facing hard choices
* Sexuality education, transitioning to employment, housing options,risk and safety skills

Location:
Hyatt Regency Bellevue, 900 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004


*CostConference Only (early bird) $75Conference & Luncheon (early bird) $150Conference Only (after Sept. 23) $100Conference & Luncheon (after Sept. 23) $175Scholarships are available.

Resource FairAn all-day resource fair is being held in partnership with autismorganizations serving our region and will provide families with resourcesavailable in the community.

Please visit website for a list oforganizations participating in the resource fair.For more information & to register for the conference, please visit:www.tessera.org/conference.html

Social Skills Workshop in October

Michelle Garcia Winner is coming to Seattle October 6th and 7th! She is a speech language pathologist who specializes in teaching social skills and executive functioning skills. I highly recommend this workshop for parents of children who are working on their social cognition. This is a model and a curriculum that's used a lot in our school district- understanding this model will help you understand ways to teach social skills and executive functioning skills, and will help you understand and support what's going on at school.

If you can find a way to attend this workshop, you should be there!
http://socialthinking.com/

IAM Annual Summer Family Picnic!

Sunday, August 2nd has been chosen as the date for our annual summer picnic. Details will follow, put it on your calendar! We are planning the picnic for 12 to 2 with the option to stay longer...

Eagledale Park on Rose Ave worked well last summer, so that will most likely be the location again. An email will follow about food, fun and RSVP's.

Hope you are enjoying your Summer so far!

Last IAM Meeting for the school year!

Thanks to those who made it to our year-end 'roast and toast' IAM celebration. What a year it has been! Hope we can take a deep breath in the next few days and realize what we as a group have accomplished while jumping into our summer plans, or lack of plans!

This summer we will meet informally for kid, parent, mom and dad activities and 'day-camps'. Keep an eye on your emails if you are interested in participating!

In late July we will have our IAM family picnic--details to follow!

Please stay active on our email list, post questions and articles of interest and reach out for support!

Take care, hang in there and have a great summer!

IAM Meeting

This Wednesday, June 3rd @ 7PM. We are meeting at Cafe Trios at Harbor Square. Please RSVP if you would like to attend: catb@iam-hope.org

Hope to see you there!

Public Schools and Autism

There may be no greater challenge facing public schools today than the staggering increase in children diagnosed with autism. Even though the law requires school districts to provide a free "appropriate" education to every student, school budgets are not growing nearly as rapidly as the number of children classified as having special needs. Parents are increasingly demanding more than basics; they want intensive, expensive services that offer the best chance to rescue their child from a lifetime of disability.

Experts disagree on the most effective approach to teaching children with autism, and many school districts cobble together a mishmash of methods that changes with each new fad, source of funding, special education director, or classroom teacher. Too often, good intentions collide with limited resources, and overloaded bureaucracies clash with parents driven by hope and anguish. The result is often a mess.

"The way we treat and educate children with autism is a national disgrace," says L. Vincent Strully, founder and CEO of the New England Center for Children, one of the oldest and largest private schools for autism in the United States.

To read more---http://www.edutopia.org/autism-school

BISD seeks Autism Expert for new program

Please read and pass on to others...Bainbridge Island School District is seeking an Autism Spectrum Expert to serve as the district's coordinator of the new ASD K-6 program that will be implemented this fall at Ordway, Wilkes, Blakely and Sakai.

Link to the job opening is:
http://www.bainbridge.wednet.edu/jobs/job.php?jobid=966

Meeting--NEW LOCATION

Wednesday 5/6 at Cafe Trios--at Harbor Square at 7 PM.

NEW MEETING LOCATION!

We are going to talk about ideas for summer fun; camps, play groups and childcare share, and current child related topics--bring your ideas and topic suggestions.

Hope to see you there!

Autism-In the news...

April is Autism Awareness Month--Here are some interesting stories by ABC News


Financial Challenges Among Autism's Costs
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=7229778&page=1

Talking in Color: Imaging Helps Social Skills
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=7223698

China's Autism Parents Walk Lonely Road for Help
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=7225002

Autism Awareness!

April is Autism Awareness month! In recognition, IAM will have an information table set up at Winslow Mall on Saturday, April 4th from 10-4 PM.

Stop by to learn about our current projects and advocacy efforts.

Information, T-Shirts, Balloons, Flowers, Bracelets...come by and say 'hello!'

Hope to see you there!

FREE Autism Screenings in April

This April the University of Washington Autism Center in Tacoma will be offering free, walk-in autism screenings to the community. UW will be offering the screenings April 7th and 21st from 9-11AM and April 14th and 28th from 3-5PM. Families will be served on a first-come/first-served basis.

These screenings are part of the UW Autism Center’s mission to increase knowledge and awareness about autism in the general public. Please keep this opportunity in mind when speaking with families concerned that their children are showing signs of an autism spectrum disorder or general developmental delay.

Contact:
Nathan Ketzner
Parent Resource Coordinator
UW Autism Center, Tacoma
1900 Commerce Street
Box 358455
Tacoma, WA 98402

Direct: 253-692-4759
Fax: 253-692-4718
Seattle website: http://depts.washington.edu/uwautism/
Tacoma website: http://depts.washington.edu/uwautism/Tacoma/

Margaret Meade said it best...

"Never doubt that a small committed group of individuals can change the world..indeed this is the only thing that ever has."

Meeting Postponed!

Sorry! The meeting on 3/18 has been postponed! We will instead meet one week later on 3/25!

Hope to see you then!

Next IAM Meeting 3/18

The next IAM meeting is on Wednesday, March 18th at 7 PM at Edna's.

7:00 – 7:15 Open chat, food and drink orders, etc.
7:30 – 7:45 BISD collaboration update and cause for celebration!
7:45 – 8:15 World Autism Awareness Day --planning--less than 3 weeks away!
8:15 – 8:45 Q&A and topic wrap-up, parked topics

Contact Catb@IAM-HOPE.org for directions or information.

Next IAM Meeting

The next IAM meeting is on Wednesday, March 4th at 7 PM at Edna's.

7:00 – 7:15 Open chat, food and drink orders, etc.
7:30 – 7:45 BISD collaboration update and critcal next steps
7:45 – 8:15 World Autism Awareness Day --planning
8:15 – 8:45 Q&A and topic wrap-up, parked topics

Contact Catb@IAM-HOPE.org for directions or information.