Camp K - Family Fun Day

More info at
http://www.campk.org/wp-content/uploads/FamilyFunDay2012Flyer.pdf

Summer Fun

http://www.enjoyutah.org/2011/12/free-utah-events-activities-and-places.html 

Be sure to check out the page under More Stuff to see adaptive recreation opportunities - and don't forget to get you FREE National Parks Gold Access card -

You can get an Access Pass to gain FREE entry into National Parks

There is no fee for this pass

You will need proof of disability

http://www.us-parks.com/golden-access-passport.html

There is a list of offices where you can get your pass on the website

The Play Project

Thursday, May 31, 2012 from 6:30-8pm 
1385 South State Street, SLC

Please Join Easter Seals-Goodwill for an informative evening with Dr.Richard Solomon and a panel of local parents discussing the fundamentals of autism and play-based intervention therapy. (This is the P.L.A.Y. Project Intervention model.) 

Please RSVP by May 29th to Janet Wade at 801-633-2091 or janetw@esgw.org 

The Healing Power of Horses

Here is an article from BYU's "The Universe" about Hoofbeats to Healing. Wonderful benefits have come for our boys riding there.

Hoofbeats to Healing is an organization founded 15 years ago by TameraTanner, and is designed as a therapeutic horse ranch dedicated to improving those with physical and cognitive disabilities.

The Poop Page - from TACA

I read this article and found the information helpful understanding my sons tummy troubles. I hope it helps you too.

The “Poop” Page

By Lisa Ackerman and Linda Betzold

Dedicated to fellow “poop peepers” like me!

Many children with autism suffer from many issues involving the gut and their bowel movements (or lack there of). So much so that not a meeting goes by, nor a support phone conversation, that does not involve a discussion of “how are your child’s poops?”

Based on the obsession to help children “go” daily, one would conclude this process is a newly found hobby. Many TACA families take great care in discussing, analyzing and fretting over their child’s poops! (So you are not crazy! Join the club!)

For our kids (and all humans) moving our bowels daily is a key component to basic and good health. If a child:

• Is having loose bowel movements that happen too quickly after eating (for example less than one hour) — there are issues to address.
• Is having bowel movements two, three, four or more days apart; then they are not stooling often enough — there are issues to address.
•  Is having bowel movements that contain undigested food particles, and you recognize the good in the toilet or diaper — there are issues to address.
• Has a bloated belly beyond the age of two — there are issues to address.
• Performs self stimulatory behaviors such as toe walking, flapping or posturing just before or while stooling (posturing appears to provide comfort and may include applying pressure to the abdomen by leaning against a blunt object, like arm of sofa, therapy ball, mom’s knee, etc.) — there are issues to address.
• Alternates between constipation and diarrhea — there are issues to address.
• Produces stool that has a very odd odor, color and/or texture — there are issues to address.
• Has fallen behind or hit a plateau on his/her growth chart — there are issues to address.
• Has been unable to potty train passed a reasonable age (6, 8 10 years of age) — there are issues to address.

If your child is pooping daily and still seems uncomfortable, he or she may not be getting enough stool out every day. It is important to consider these suggestions with your doctor and make sure that your child is having complete and regular bowel movements.

A few more thoughts …

1. Stool impaction is incredibly painful, and it sometimes happens to our kids. An exam and x-ray of the abdomen (called a KUB) can help diagnose an impaction, which will likely require MEDICAL ATTENTION. Watch for distended tummies, night waking because of pain, and sometimes dramatic changes in behavior as clues. Sometimes children with stool impaction will produce thin, ribbony stool in the toilet, another clue that there may be an impaction. Sometimes children with an impaction may have diarrhea every day or every few days. It can be a little confusing or misleading, but diarrhea is the only thing that can squirt around the impaction. This can be another clue that there is an impaction. Please see a doctor for help immediately. A good gastroenterologist can make a huge difference in finding and solving the root problems unique to your child.
2. The best pediatric gastroenterologists that understand and treat the GI issues of children with autism are Dr. Arthur Krigsman of Pediatric Gastroenterology of New York and Texas, www.autismgi.com, and Dr. Timothy Buie at Massachusetts Hospital for Children, a teacher at Harvard Medical School,www.massgeneral.org/children/specialtiesandservices/ladders/default.aspx. In many cases, if children on the autism spectrum are experiencing severe, prolonged GI-related problems, a trip to either one of these professionals is recommended.

Read More Here

"Occupational Therapy: Shaving" Real Look Autism

Law Enforcement and Autism - Free Training in Ogden, UT

Moving With Your Special-Needs Child - 15 Ways to Ease the Transition

Moving With Your Special-Needs Child - 15 Ways to Ease the Transition

Written by Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D.;

 photo: PhotoXpresss.com 

It is estimated that 1 out of 5 families move every year; which means that for many families, the early weeks of summer are often filled with packing boxes, contacting new schools and finding new dentists. While transitioning to a new neighborhood or town can bring an assortment of stresses, this stress can be amplified when a family moves with a special-needs child. Routines, therapies and support networks can be disrupted and the entire family can feel on edge. Whether this is your first move or you are a seasoned veteran, the following tips will steer you and your family on the path to a smoother transition:

Keep them involved – As a parent, you know what your child can handle emotionally. While taking a child house hunting might work in some families, for others, it makes sense to wait. “Our children are visual learners,“ says Sharla Jordan, mother of six boys (four with special needs), “so once we had a contract to buy our new home, I drew out a sketch of the floor plan and explained where their bedrooms would be and where their toys would go. This really helped reduce anxiety.”

Read more of the Article here

(I am glad to see the author used all my suggestion in her article)

Autism Coming of Age Film Screening

Autism Coming of Age
Film Screening and Discussion

APRIL 25 - PINGREE CENTER  6:30pm

http://www.uen.org/autism/

Free Movie in American Fork

EATON ALLIANCE FREE MOVIE
Wednesday, April 25
120 West Main, American Fork, UT
4:00 - 6:30 pm
April is Autism Awareness Month! As always, anyone who would like to attend a free movie sponsored by Eaton Alliance is invited. Please come out and show your support! We will be watching Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Autism Brain Research

Autism Research Unraveling Mysteries - April 9, 2012

"Research suggests the brains of autistic children may indeed be "wired" differently "right from the beginning," Paterson says. A popular theory among researchers holds that autistic people have an abundance of "local connections," in one specific part of the brain, but not enough "long-distance connections" to coordinate complex tasks among various parts of the brain, such as interpreting emotions, says Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks.

"The changes lie not in the brain cells themselves but in the pathways that transmit messages between brain regions, Paterson says.

"These pathways aren't visible to the naked eye. But scientists can get a sense of these bundles of nerve fibers with technology that traces the path of water through the brain.

"Structural changes in these fiber tracts are evident in the brains of children later diagnosed with autism, even as young as 6 months old."

The Arizona Republic

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2012/04/09/20120409autism-research-unraveling-mysteries.html#ixzz1sEpjPMC8

FINALLY....Someone who can make sense of all the AUTISM RESEARCH STUDIES via Big MAK's

“It was really shocking to us” said Dr. Obvious, lead scientist of the STUPID study, “A lot has been made about geezers and fattys having kids, but those studies showed only a minimal connection between hypothesis and conclusion. It is rare in the scientific community to find an absolute, but we believe we have found one. All children apparently come from pregnancies, and of said pregnancies, 1 in 88 of them are resulting in an autism diagnosis. It was a real eye opener for our team.”
read more......

http://lous-land.blogspot.com/2012/04/stupid-studies.html?spref=fb

ACU - Light it up Blue

ACU - What is Autism 30 second spot

ACU - Autism 15 second spot