ASCEND News: PAN & ASCEND partner for 4/23 conference, ASD in the media, events, and more!

A formal partnership between Penn Nursing and the Center for Autism will combine the clinical strengths of one of the country's top diagnostic and ASD treatment providers with a unique nursing perspective to improve comprehensive care for the ASD community. The Center for Autism is a private, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia that treats individuals with ASD.
read more here >

ASCEND is pleased to announce that we will co-present Penn Autism Network’s 5th Annual Conference. Don’t miss this region’s premier event focused on adults with autism, as well astransition to adulthood.

This year’s keynote speaker is John Elder Robison, author of the bestselling book Look Me In the Eye, My Life with Asperger’s. In addition, the conference features 18 workshopsand a resource fair. Topics to be covered in the workshops include: employment, housing, women’s issues,self-advocacy, medication management, and much more!

When to Worry if a Child Has Too Few Words
New York Times, February 9, 2010
Note: One of ASCEND’s professional members, Dr. James Coplan, is quoted in this article!
From the article: “There is nothing simple about speech, and there is nothing simple about speech delay — starting with the challenge of diagnosing it. … Every pediatrician knows the frustration of trying to quantify the speech and language skills of a screaming toddler. How many words can he say? Can she put two or more words together into a sentence? Can people besides you understand him when he talks? Questions like these, put to the parents, are the quick and somewhat crude yardsticks we often use.” click read more>

Health Mailbox: Readers’ Questions About Autism
Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2010
From the website: From the website: “"One of the puzzles in trying to understand the rise of autism cases is that over the same time period there has been a rise in many things—minivans, frozen yogurt consumption, sushi—and a decline in unsupervised play, recess, sun exposure, and so on," says Columbia University sociologist Peter Bearman, the senior researcher on the study that found the increased risk of autism in Los Angeles. read more >

Scientist: Autism Paper Had Catastrophic Effects
NPR: All Things Considered, February 7, 2010
From the broadcast: “The prestigious British medical journal Lancet took a rare step this week: It retracted a 1998 paper that sparked a firestorm about potentiallinks between vaccines and autism. That paper has been a bane to Dr. Paul Offit, co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine and chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. Offit tells host Guy Raz why he thinks the paper was a disaster for parents seeking answers about autism.” listen here >

Medical journal retracts flawed autism study
MSNBC, February 2, 2010
From the website: “Controversial paper published in 1998 linked MMR shots to disorder … A major British medical journal on Tuesday retracted a flawed study linking the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism and bowel disease.” read more >

L.A. Confidential: Seeking Reasons for Autism's Rise
Wall Street Journal, February 2, 2010
From the article: “Why is a child born in northwest Los Angeles four times as likely to be diagnosed with autism as a child born elsewhere in California? Medical experts have pondered for years why autism rates have soared nationwide, and why the disorder appears to be much more prevalent in certain communities than in others. Now, two recent studies that zero in on California may shed some light on these baffling questions.” read more >

Dealing With the Financial Burden of Autism
New York Times, January 22, 2010
From the article: “When Jeff Sell’s twin sons were found to have autism 13 years ago, he, like so many other parents in the same situation, found himself with a million questions: Will my children be able to function? What are the best treatments and where do I find them? How will this affect the rest of my family? And besides those monumental worries, Mr. Sell kept asking himself another fundamental question as he began the long string of doctor and therapist visits with his sons: ‘How in the world am I going to pay for all this?’” read more >

Stars Vs. Science
Forbes.com, January 14, 2010
From the article:“When the medical journal Pediatrics released a consensus report early this year concluding that autistic children do not benefit from special diets, ABC News' Diane Sawyer knew just whom to call. Jenny McCarthy, former MTV game host, nude model and now mother of an autistic son Evan, enthusiastically denounced the study. ‘Until doctors start listening to our anecdotal evidence, which is it's working, it's going to take so many more years for these kids to get better,’ she opined.” read more >

OSR#1: Industrial chemical or autism treatment?
Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2010
From the article: “An industrial chemical developed to help separate heavy metals from polluted soil and mining drainage is being sold as a dietary supplement by a luminary in the world of alternative autism treatments.” read more >

The Hunt for an Autism Drug
Business Week, January 14, 2010
From the article: “Armed with fresh medical insights, drug companies are redoubling their efforts to address the disease's complex causes.” read more >

530 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Fort Washington, PA This two-day workshop will offer a humanistic, non-clinical overview of the autism spectrum from the perspective of those who experience it. click here for more info >

The Bureau of Autism Services provides and opportunity to hear about its current initiatives. The same information will be presented in two separate sessions. Pre-registration is not required. To join the presentation:
1. Visit http://bastraining.acrobat.com/baswebcast/
2. Sign in as a Guest using your first name, association.

Delaware County Caring Network
IEPs: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask

Presenter: Kathy Zepka, Education Advocate, Arc Of Delaware County
February 25, 2010, 7:30pm

Holiday Inn West Chester, 943 South High Street, West Chester, PA The topic for this conference is optimizing a child’s cognition and development through nutrition. This event will enlighten and empower professionals and parents to see nutrition as a working tool in their bag to assist and improve therapeutic outcomes. Event Fee: $100-115.
More info: info@atotalapproach.com or 484/840-1529
http://www.atotalapproach.com

737 South Ithan Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA
HTPS asked ASCEND to share that they are considering adding a fifth grade class for the next school year.
http://www.hilltopprep.org

March 4, 2010, 4:30-5:15pm
Conshohocken, PA Free class for children on the spectrum, siblings, and parents to unite in the joys of breathing, moving, and relaxing their way to ease, freedom, peace, and well-being. Yoga and creative movement classes are a phenomenal way for the whole family to connect and celebrate the joy and freedom of breathing, moving, and relaxing as they let go of the stresses of daily living. Classes are offered for groups and privately, and are available specifically for people on the spectrum, siblings, and parents. For more info: Nicole Calvano at nicole@theinfiniteu.com or 732/407-2847.
http://www.theinfiniteU.com

Wanamaker Building, 10th Floor, Suite 1010, Philadelphia, PA Designed for the lawyer practicing special education law or the individual navigating the maze of special education programs and services, this seminar features a lively discussion on a range of topics. click here for more info >

Dolce Valley Forge 301 W. Dekalb Pike King of Prussia,
PA For more details or to register: 1-800-489-0727 or visit the website.
click here for more info >

Location: PaTTAN Harrisburg, PaTTAN King of Prussia, PaTTAN Pittsburgh and other downlink sites.
This workshop will provide an overview of specific language learning challenges present in young children with autism. Topics will include joint attention, speech perception and production as well as early word learning skills. Research from typical language acquisition will be discussed as a framework for understanding the deficits present in autism. click here for more info >

To have your event listed in ASCEND’s enewsletter, please visit our website and fill out the online event form.

This issue from Wrightslaw focuses on bullying and school safety. Is your child a victim of bullying? Is your child a bully? Learn the signs that will help you identify potential problem situations and find out what parents, schools, and kids can do about it.
click here for more information >

For information about the implementation of high fidelity wraparound in Pennsylvania, check the December 2009 edition of the PA CASSP Newsletter.
click here for more info >

The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) has announced the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) Checklist iPhone application. click here for the video >

Please send items for consideration for our enews to info@ascendgroup.org
with “Enews Idea” in the subject line.

ASCEND's enewsletter is partially funded via a generous grant from CCRES.

ASCEND Group Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We do not endorse any specific professional or therapeutic treatment. We are not meant to be a replacement for medical or legal advice. Our mission is to raise public awareness about Asperger Syndrome and related disorders, to advocate for improved education and services, and to provide support and information to the Asperger and autism community.

This newsletter is for informational purposes only. Any link or mention in our newsletter should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation.

The official registration and financial information of ASCEND Group Inc. may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.