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There will be a conference on Autism March 27th, 2010 sponsored by Autism Hearts. It's focus will be for emergency first responders, law enforcement, parents, educators, care providers, and the autism community. The time will be 9:00a- 12 noon at the Patterson Auditorium, Guthrie Campus in Sayre, Pa. Dan Martelle will be the speaker. Dan has over 35 years experience with emergency services and is raising a grandson with Autism. This educational seminar is FREE, but pre-registration is required due to limited seating. Please register by emailing me at AutismHearts@stny.rr.com by March 20th. As of today, March 14th, there are still seats available!

The Learning Early conference will be held in Sayre on April 23rd, 2010. It is sponsored by BCRAC (Bradford County Regional Arts Council) There will be at least one session addressing Autism, probably three. I have been asked to represent AH by obtaining speakers on autism. As more details solidify, I will post it on the website.

Plans for this year's fund raising Autism walk are underway. The date is Sunday, May 16th. I am hoping holding it on a Sunday does not deter many. It has just been too difficult to coordinate Saturdays with the school district until the last minute and it makes it hard to plan. The district has been extremely generous letting us use the facilities, so I am grateful to have use of the space, no matter the day! Watch the site for further details. The pledge sheets, registration, etc. will be available by April 1st. T-shirt orders will be on-line again as well. Thank you for your support!
Sandy

Heartstrings will be a feature each month for readers to share personal stories. If you would like to submit a story for the newsletter, please send it to me at
AutismHearts@stny.rr.com Please know that this newsletter is on the internet, so anything you say can be viewed by anyone. If you wish to submit a photo, attach it to the story. Also, I must be able to reserve the right to edit for space and content if necessary. Sandy

Reader's Reviews
Have you read a good book on Autism lately?
If you have and would like to share a title and make a comment about it, please email it to me at
AutismHearts@stny.rr.com
I will then place it here for all to share! Sandy

Autism Mom's Survival Guide (for dads too!)
by Susan Senator

While I admit I haven't read this book yet.(I'm ordering it from Amazon), it comes highly recommended from the ASA.

Disaster Preparedness for Families

Should you have access to a video recorder or camera, it is strongly encouraged to photograph property and important possessions and send copies to another location for safekeeping.

Tip #1 Practice calm
Parents and care providers need to project a demeanor of calm even if you don't feel it! Children and adults on the spectrum may sense your emotional state and mimic it.

Tip #2 Prepare for immediate needs before a disaster
Be ready to evacuate. Have a plan to get out of the home-plan two evacuation routes. Create a self-help network of friends and relatives. Give a trusted neighbor a key so they will be able to assist in an emergency if needed. Contact your local emergency management office to maintain a registery of people with disabilities so they can be located in an emergency. If possible, wearing a tag to identify the disability would be helpful. Have a disaster supply kit. Items to include might be flashlight, batteries, radio, first aid kit, emergency food and water, essential medicines. For comfort, blankets, personal hygiene items, change of clothes, ID, valuable items, etc.

Tip #3 If disaster strikes:
Look for items that may be broken or been displaced that could cause hazard, particularly electrical lines. Be aware of carbon monoxide poisoning .People have died or been poisoned due to the use of generators, grills, camp stoves,or other gas burning devices inside the home.
(tips provided by FEMA and Autism Society of America)

Elizabeth is our first born and arrived 3 ½ weeks early in September of 1998. She hit most of her milestones on the late side of normal. She was always just a little different from other children, but obviously very bright, so we passed most of her quirkiness off as giftedness. Her behavior though was more than quirky and at age 3 ½ we sought professional help to deal with her behaviors. We went to Hershey Medical Center and were both surprised and relieved when the psychologist told us she had high-functioning autism. Finally we had a reason for our child’s odd behaviors. From there we started on a frantic schedule of therapy, research, and trying almost every treatment we could find.

We were told by experts that preschool was a must to maximize socialization. We immediately enrolled her for 2 years of preschool. After that, we decided that all of that socialization was making Elizabeth’s behavior worse, not better. She was totally overwhelmed from all of the stimulation. She’s been cyber-schooled at home since kindergarten and has made wonderful progress at home in a safe environment. Social experiences now come in small, safe spurts. Every moment is a teachable moment and when she’s not stressed out, she learns so much.

Because Elizabeth typically overreacts to minor incidents, we often joke that her biography should be titled “Trauma and Drama.” While that is fitting, lately we’ve been thinking a better title might be “Never Say Never” or maybe “Everything in Its Time.” Just when we are dead certain that a milestone will never be reached, Elizabeth achieves it with ease. Potty training was that way. Then when Elizabeth was 8, she started allowing us to sleep through the night. She still doesn’t always sleep, but she has learned to entertain herself quietly in her bedroom while the rest of the family sleeps. Somewhere between ages 8 and 9, eye contact mysteriously appeared and most of her noisy squawking just as mysteriously disappeared. At age 10 she suddenly decided that she was gifted with what she calls her fashion sense. She’s still picky about zippers and buttons, but suddenly she cares about her appearance and does a beautiful job of matching her clothes and putting them on properly. The days of “if she agrees to wear it, then it’s perfect” are over.
Debby