Guest guest Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Parents Helping Parents <info Wed, 1 Apr 2009 00:54:05 -0400 April 2009 eNEWS druidthor ====================================================================== Parents Helping Parents April 2009 eNEWS ====================================================================== Living in the Present Spring has arrived and in spite of the cold, brisk mornings, the trees and flowers are blooming and showing signs of the season. Life goes on and even if the economy is on a roller coaster ride, unemployment is the highest it has ever been and everything that we took for granted is now changing before our eyes, there still are a few constants that we can count on. I have love in my life, I have hope for the future and I have talent and time to share with others to make life better, building a better community for all one day at a time. In my own life, I find that my biggest gift and greatest teacher has been my son with special needs, and regardless of the chaos around me, he is my one constant, my rock. He has taught me what is real is not always visible to the eye but always felt in the heart. He lives in the present and values people not by what they bring or who they are but simply by their existence. Martha Beck, PHP & rsquo;s recent guest lecturer, talked about finding your North Star and always being in tune with it. She speaks of learning to live with less fear and more love and to enjoy every day and the experiences that make up that day. Spring is our reminder of renewal. Now is a good time to practice letting go of fear and letting more love into our lives. What is real is not always visible to the eye, but always felt in the heart. Enjoy the weather, enjoy each other, celebrate your child with special needs and look to the future with hope and not fear & hellip; our children do, and shouldn & rsquo;t we be as wise as they are? Mary Ellen Peterson, CEO April Is Autism Awareness Month April is Autism Awareness month. Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person & rsquo;s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a " spectrum disorder " that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today. Many of our PHP families have been impacted by a diagnosis of autism. By resolution of the United Nations in December of 2007, April 2 was declared World Autism Awareness Day. Its purpose is to bring together autism organizations all around the world, and give a voice to the millions of individuals worldwide who are undiagnosed, misunderstood and looking for help. This April, join us in supporting families of children with autism in all the work that we do. We have several active autism support groups at PHP that meet at varying times throughout each month. The Autism/PDD support group typically meets on the third Thursday of the month bringing in experts on a variety of topics related to the treatment understanding of autism and ASD Biomedical Discussion Group meets the second Wednesday of each month and along with general parent support offers a focus on biomedical and dietary interventions for children with autism. Asperger & rsquo;s Support and Information group meets on the first Wednesday of the month for discussion and support of issues facing people with Asperger & rsquo;s Syndrome. There are also support groups that gather in a variety of locations around the bay, San Benito County, Redwood Shores and Dublin among them. Just this year we have added an Autism Parent Coffee, Networking and Support Meeting. I hope you will join us at one or more of these support meetings. PHP has other groups and activities that also support families who have children with Autism. Parents of Adult Children with Developmental Delays, our various language-based support groups, CIRCLES, Sharing the Journey, IEP trainings, Sibshops, and the Integrated Play Group, all provide valuable support and information and a place for families to connect. One group, Families for Early Autism Treatment, FEAT, has not been having regular meetings for several years. This group was formed years ago with a focus on educational and behavioral treatments for young children with autism. It was a very active group for many years, but in recent years no one has expressed an interest in leading such a group. I & rsquo;d like to take this opportunity to offer some mentoring and guidance to anyone interested in facilitating this group. If you are interested in reviving this support group please contact Joanna Jaeger by email at jaegs. Easter Seals' Early Intervention Autism Program In 2007, Easter Seals Bay Area developed the Early Intervention Autism Program (EIAP) to address the rapidly growing needs of young children with autism and their families. EIAP & rsquo;s mission is to provide evidence-based interventions to young children with autism and related developmental disabilities ages one to five years that facilitate successful inclusion into the least restrictive environment. EIAP provides: & middot; Individualized programs to meet the unique needs of each child and family & middot; A multi-disciplinary team of specialists to provide integrated and effective services (e.g. early interventionists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, behavioral consultants, early childhood special educators) & middot; Activities and interactions designed to enhance each child & rsquo;s communication, social interaction, learning and active participation in everyday activities and routines & middot; Ongoing guidance and education to families about their child & rsquo;s development & middot; Coaching and support to help parents communicate and interact more successfully with their child. Please contact your local Easter Seals Bay Area to find out more about EIAP services in your area. In Santa Clara County, please contact Andrew Shahan at 408-654-9311. Special Education PTA in Santa Cruz Santa Cruz now has a Special Education PTA! The Santa Cruz County Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA) is organized for the specific purpose of providing information and support to parents of children with special needs. The all-volunteer organization includes parents of children with disabilities in local preschools, elementary schools, high schools, and in private schools who meet to learn more about special education in Santa Cruz County. They sponsor workshops, informational meetings, discussion groups, legislative lobbying efforts and a variety of other activities to help improve their children's education. Their mission is to foster communication, share information, and help children become active and successful participants in the community. For more information go to http://www.scsepta.org/. Making a Video for an IEP Meeting As parents, we all want to portray our children in a positive way to their IEP Team. In this article, a mom describes how she created a video to help her son's middle school better understand him, and to see him as a child, and not a label or a diagnosis with a set of issues and problems. Read the article " Making a Video for an IEP Meeting " and be sure to follow the link at the end of the article to see her finished product! New Arrivals in the PHP Library Auditory Processing Difficulties by Patti Hamaguchi (DVD) How are the signs and symptoms of APD properly diagnosed while differentiating from other disorders? The impact of ADHD, age, autism spectrum disorders, cognitive level and bilingual issues will also be discussed. Growing Up on the Spectrum by Koegel & LaZebnik A guide to life, love and learning for teens and young adults with autism and aspergers. Stories of Hope by Coull, Eaton & Werb True stories of success from adults with learning differences who are living their dreams. Volunteer Spotlight: Cynthia Hernandez In our newsletters we like to take the opportunity to highlight the contributions of some of our volunteers. You may have heard about our recent fundraising gala and seminar featuring Martha Beck, life coach, author, O Magazine contributor, which we hosted just over a week ago. Events of this magnitude and complexity take a huge effort and many dedicated staff and volunteers to pull off. One of the volunteers who stood out in this process was Cynthia Hernandez. Cynthia came to us enthusiastic about getting involved and helping families of children with special needs. We were so happy to have her involved in our committees seeking sponsorship and auction donations. Many people are a little intimidated at the thought of making phone calls and requesting donations, but Cynthia dove in head first. Not only did she secure some great donations, but she then went and drove around the valley picking up donated items and gift certificates so that we could package them up for auction. She drove from one end of the valley to the other putting up posters announcing the Martha Beck & ldquo;Steering by Starlight & rdquo; seminar, to allow us to reach beyond our own community of special needs and connect with others who might be inspired to attend such a great seminar. While we were thrilled to have such an energetic volunteer on our committee, we were also curious as to how she got connected with PHP. She is not a parent of a child with special needs, she works in the field of high tech sales, so how did she find us, or how did we find her? I learned after talking to her that she really felt like she wanted to do something in the special needs community as a tribute to her mother and to a sister that she never new who happened to have been born with Down Syndrome. She knew how profoundly this child had impacted her mother & rsquo;s life and the life of their entire family and even though she was only around for a very short time, her influence has been felt for many, many years. Working with PHP and supporting the efforts to raise money and support the programs that help other families is a way for her to honor her family in a very positive way. Says Cynthia, " It was truly an honor to be part of the Steering by Starlight committee. I enjoyed making new acquaintances and getting to know others better. The Gala was a first class event and truly a special evening that will be remembered by all. The seminar was a tremendous success. The enthusiasm and excitement of the seminar participants was amazing. I would like to thank everyone at PHP for allowing me to participate. I can & rsquo;t wait for next year.. " If you are interested in volunteering for PHP please visit our website at www.php.com. Upcoming PHP Events Wednesday, April 1, 2009 & middot; 9:30AM - " Autism Parent Coffee, Networking and Support Meeting " - San Jose, CA & middot; 7:00PM - " PHP Asperger Support and Information Group " - San Jose, CA Saturday, April 4, 2009 & middot; 10:00AM - " PHP Integrated Playgroup " - San Jose, CA & middot; 2:00PM - " Circles I Class Orientation - Required to Participate in April Session " - San Jose, CA Sunday, April 5, 2009 & middot; 3:00PM - " Sibling Support Group for Teens " - Mountain View, CA Tuesday, April 7, 2009 & middot; 10:00AM - " PHP Japanese Support and Information Group " - San Jose, CA & middot; 6:30PM - " Education Advocacy Workshop " - San Jose, CA Wednesday, April 8, 2009 & middot; 11:00AM - " Organize Your Child's Records " - San Jose, CA & middot; 7:00PM - " Regional Center Services & What to Do About Budget Cutbacks, presented by PHP Chinese Support and Information Group " - San Jose, CA & middot; 7:00PM - " ASD Biomedical Discussion Group " - San Jose, CA Monday, April 13, 2009 & middot; 4:00PM - " Tour of PHP " - San Jose, CA Tuesday, April 14, 2009 & middot; 6:10PM - " LD/ADD Parent Support Group at PHP " - San Jose, CA & middot; 7:10PM - " Math Goals Beyond Facts and Computation presented by the LD/ADD Lecture Series " - San Jose, CA & middot; Wednesday, April 15, 2009 & middot; 6:45PM - " Finding a Job for People with Autism and Developmental Disabilities: Work is the Expenditure of Meaningful Effort " - San Jose, CA & middot; 7:00PM - " PHP Childhood Bipolar Disorder Support & Information Group " - San Jose, CA Thursday, April 16, 2009 & middot; 7:00PM - " Autism Parent Club of San Benito County " - Hollister, Friday, April 17, 2009 & middot; 6:30PM - " Vietnamese Support Group " - San Jose, CA Saturday, April 18, 2009 & middot; 10:00AM - " PUEDO Grupo de Apoyo en Espanol " - San Jose, CA & middot; Tuesday, April 21, 2009 & middot; 9:00AM - " Entrenamientos de IEP (Plan Educativo Individual) " - San Jose, CA & middot; 10:00AM - " Tour of PHP " - San Jose, CA Thursday, April 23, 2009 & middot; 6:15PM - " Creando Relaciones Positivas entre la Escuela y el Hogar " - Sunnyvale, CA Saturday, April 25, 2009 & middot; 10:00AM - " Mentor/Support Parent Training " - San Jose, CA & middot; 11:00AM - " CIRCLES®: Intimacy and Relationships Class - Part 1 " - San Jose, CA Tuesday, April 28, 2009 & middot; 9:00AM - " IEP Training for Families New to Special Education " - San Jose, CA Parents Helping Parents - 1400 Parkmoor Avenue Suite 100 - San Jose - CA - 95126 To to this newsletter go to https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/subscription.php?username=jdcpenner & se\ nd_id=494826089 & l=s & newsletter_id=1409868129 To druidthor, go to https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/subscription.php?username=jdcpenner & se\ nd_id=494826089 & l=u & email=druidthor To change your address or edit your subscription preferences, go to https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/subscription.php?username=jdcpenner & se\ nd_id=494826089 & l=p & email=druidthor To forward this email to a friend, go to https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/forward.php?username=jdcpenner & newslet\ ter_id=1409868129 & email=druidthor & send_id=494826089 To report this email as spam, go to https://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/tools/abuse_report.php?username=jdcpenner & se\ nd_id=494826089 & email=druidthor This email was sent using MyNewsletterBuilder.com. 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