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CARD New York Hosts Free Weeklong Series to Help Parents Get Past Challenging Behaviors

All workshops are designed for parents and practitioners of children with and without autism.

RSVP Required For Each Workshop:

A. BLAZAITIS @CENTERFORAUTISM.COM

or 914-833-1303


Tuesday, February 22, 2011
How to Administer Oral Medication
7pm - 9pm
Cost: Free
Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.
1890 Palmer Avenue, Ste. 404
Larchmont, NY 10538

Learn
  • Potential obstacles to successful medication administration
  • How to change the environment to work more productively and
  • How to use reinforcement strategies most effectively

February 23, 2011
Moving Past Picky Eating
7pm - 9pm
Cost: Free
Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
1890 Palmer Avenue, Ste. 404
Larchmont, NY 10538

Learn:
  • Potential reasons for children not having wide diets
  • Proven methods for increasing acceptance, and
  • Watch videos of successful treatment in action

February 24, 2011
Effective Toilet Training at Every Age
7pm - 9pm
Cost: Free
Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
1890 Palmer Avenue, Ste. 404
Larchmont, NY 10538

Learn:
  • What is and isn't age appropriate to adjust your expectations
  • How taking a little data can be enormously beneficial in the long run, and
  • Step by step instructions on how to start training

February 25, 2011
Changing Challenging Behavior Starts with You
7pm - 9pm
Cost: Free
Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
1890 Palmer Avenue, Ste. 404
Larchmont, NY 10538

Learn:
  • How to use Functional Assessments to produce a working Behavior Plan
  • How the behavior of people in the environment can help and hinder progress, and
  • Effective methods to assess if your Behavior Plan is working as you expected

CARD’s Executive Director Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh Discusses Autism and Vaccines on FOX News Network’s “Fox and Friends”

A 1998 controversial study linked vaccines and autism. Since then, thousands of parents grappled with the decision about whether or not to vaccinate their children. That study is now being debunked. Dr. Doreen discusses what parents need to know now about autism and vaccines.

Behind the Scenes: Sarah Cho, CARD Fresno Managing Supervisor on KSEE News



Yesterday I had the exciting opportunity to speak with Alex Delgado at KSEE 24’s Central Valley Today Show. We discussed
CARD’s upcoming insurance workshop which is being hosted at the CARD Fresno office on January 19th. I so was pleased that a local TV show felt the same urgency that we feel to share information with the families that have children with Autism. I had never been interviewed before and wanted to say so much more than what time allowed.

Families affected by Autism feel stress on a completely different level than other families with typically developing children. Every milestone, every setback is felt a hundred times over. I am in awe of the parents who fight to get their children the services they need on top of all the other things they are completely each day. They are heroes for their children in my eyes.

It is my hope that insurance funding will help all of the families and children here in the Central Valley that have yet to receive intervention or have a continued need for intervention. It was my pleasure to speak on behalf of CARD and I hope that a lot of you were able to catch the show! Best regards, Sarah Cho

Autism Insurance Workshop
January 19th, 2011
6:30-8:304928
E. Clinton Way Fresno, CA
RSVP: a.mitchell@centerforautism.com






Commitment



A NOTE FROM THE DOCS
Author: Jonathan Tarbox, PhD, BCBA-D, Director of Research and Development, Center for Autism and Related Disorders

I recently got an email from a woman (I’ll call her Betty) who shared her story with me. She and her husband legally adopted their granddaughter, who has autism. They live in a very rural area, where there are no applied behavior analytic (ABA) services available. They drive her 400 miles per week, so that she can get a few hours of ABA services, and they are doing whatever they can to cobble together something resembling a full-time, intensive ABA program. They are retired – they are supposed to be traveling and playing golf. They are supposed to be relaxing and reflecting on how much they have already accomplished and how they can now finally rest. But that’s not the hand they were dealt. Instead, they have been given the fight of their lives.

But what struck me so much about the email was not how difficult it is for them— I hear that from every family I work with. Autism is a challenge, no matter what your circumstance. What affected me was the matter-of-fact tone of commitment that came across in the message. And then what occurred to me is that they are simply doing a better job than most of us do, when given any challenge, in any culture, or in any walk of life. We all complain a lot, myself included.

Thankfully, many of us are fortunate enough to have the luxury of complaining about mundane things like annoying coworkers or our own feelings. Most of us do not realize how lucky we are. Even folks who have a child on the spectrum sometimes do not appreciate how lucky they are. The fact that we were born in a culture where individuals with autism are no longer locked away, and where we take it for granted that each child has the right to living as independently as possible, is pretty lucky, compared to many parts of the world. Some parents I work with were lucky enough to happen to live in a school district, state, or region where their child’s 30 hour-per-week ABA program is fully funded and their child gets therapy from some of the best clinicians in the country. Betty and her husband would give a limb to give their granddaughter a shot at that. It’s all relative, of course, but Betty’s email reminded me of something that I, and I believe most of us, would do well to remember. We are lucky to have what we have. But appreciating the positive is not enough. It’s what we do with what we have that really counts.

Betty and her husband’s behavior shows what really matters: the commitment to doing whatever it takes. Not thinking about doing it, wanting to do it, intending to do it, worrying about it, complaining about it, nor resenting it. But simply waking up every day and doing the behaviors that need to be done. So, hats off to Betty and her husband, and the thousands of other families of kids on the spectrum, who by simply doing what they do every day, are redefining the word commitment.

Sarah Cho To Speak At Autism Insurance Workshop


Our very own Sarah Cho, Managing Supervisor, will be on KSEE 24 today between 11:00 am to 12:00 pm to discuss our insurance workshop that will be on January 19th from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. She will be going over “Is My Child’s Autism Treatment Funded by Insurance Providers?” This is a free, 2 hour workshop for parents of children with autism. The free workshop will address current California insurance funding issues related to autism treatments. Autism insurance reform laws have been enacted by 23 states. California is one of nine states with autism insurance reform bills pending introduction or endorsement.

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that is marked by the presence of impaired social interaction and communication in addition to a restricted repertoire of activities and interests. According to the Center for Disease Control Prevention, one in every 110 children is diagnosed with autism in America, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. For those of you, who are interested and unable to watch, please attend our insurance workshop on the 19th located at 4928 E. Clinton Way, Suite 105, Fresno, CA 93727 at 6:30 pm.