FOCUS Launches Its New Website

FOCUS has a new website!

You're invited to check it out.

The website was redesigned to make it easier for you to navigate, offer updated information in a timely manner, and give clearer sense of what FOCUS has to offer you and your family. 

Features include ease of navigation. We've organized the information on the website in a simple and structured way.   The main function of the website is to convey relevant content to our visitors and help you understand our services and the support we can offer your family. We hope the site will encourage you to dig deeper for more information. 

We’re hoping our site can build a community. Interaction with the Autism community is essential to the site. The site has built-in links to social media including Facebook and Twitter. It also has space for a blog.  Creating and maintaining a blog is one of the most effective ways to build community and a great way to offer content that promotes dialog. Blogs are a great way to have a conversation with our visitors and families on a regular basis and improve the level of trust website visitors and families have over time.

While you’re there look at past episodes of FOCUS on Autism TV, get an update on the FOCUS Festival for Autism, find out where the next Unplugged Panel will be and, enjoy the photos from our programs.

FOCUS would like to thank Constanza Gowen-Segovia, Melissa Harris, Rich Hollant, and the Co:Lab team for all of their great teamwork and expertise.

We want to hear from you! Let us know what think and what you might want to see!

Autism Bill Proposed in Massachusetts

Update

The bill passed the Massachusetts House 151-0.According to masslive.com the bill "would also expand eligibility for developmental services to individuals with IQs higher than 70, a current rule that Bradley said excludes many people with autism who have other developmental challenges they must overcome."

A Greater Need

The increasing diagnosis of Autism among children is moving some legislators in Massachusetts to increase services. WCVB in Boston is reporting a bill is being proposed to develop training for schools and  teachers. The bill would also provide tax exempt savings account for extended care needs.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo says in a statement, "I believe this bill is the next, crucial step to make Massachusetts the leader in caring for residents confronting autism,"

Read more: http://www.wcvb.com/health/proposed-autism-bill-to-develop-training-for-schools-teachers/25479152#ixzz2yxnMeSg9

Serving Adults

In an acknowledgement that supports are needed for individuals on the spectrum after they age out of the school system, the bill would expand eligibility for IQ-based state programs to adults with Autism.

The bill is scheduled to be debated Wednesday.

Offering Hope  

At the FOCUS Center for Autsim we provide therapy for children and young adults on the spectrum on a daily basis. We're serving over 80 children and young adults a week. That only scratches the surface. It is estimated there are over 51,000 persons on the spectrum in Connecticut alone. For many families the cost of care is out of reach. More children will be diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder than AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined. Intervention and treatment offer hope for the parents and a sense of belonging among the children we serve.

Autism, Like Race, Complicates Almost Everything

Autism...like race complicates everything...

There's an interesting and revealing essay by Alicia Montgomery about her experience caring for her Autistic son. Her situation is complicated by the fact that she and her son are African American. Her fear is her son's lack of social graces will get him in trouble. When her son acts out in anger...she fears he will become the next Travon Martin.

Through it all she feels lucky because of her support system but wonders about those who do not have support. Treatment is expensive and the costs most often fall entirely on the parents.

Check out her story and what she has been able to accomplish with her Autistic son at the NPR blog site
Frontiers of Race, Culture and Ethnicity.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/04/12/301814519/autism-like-race-complicates-almost-everything

Autism Discovery a Game Changer

Researcher have found that most forms of Autism may have their origins in utero. CBS news reported today results from a study from the National Institute of Health and the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. The study found Clusters of disorganized brain cells in tissue samples from brain regions important for regulating social functioning, emotions and communication.

According to a paper published on Wednesday, March 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings suggest brain abnormalities in children with autism can be traced back to prenatal development.

There will be more research in this direction but, the findings further debunks the already discredited research that attempted to link childhood vaccines and Autism. The discovery could mean that intervention to develop new pathways in the brain can start in the first year of a child's life.

Check out the report here.  For children with autism, brain abnormalities may begin in utero

Autism and Diagnosis Anxiety

Update: The date of the FOCUS Center for Autism Unplugged Panel at Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted, Connecticut is being moved to April 17th. It will be at the same time and place. The Panel presentation is from 6:30p to 8:30p.

Why parents shouldn't worry so much about regressive autism.

There's a lot of fear and anxiety among parents that their child might be diagnosed with Autism. Does the increased awareness of the disorder drive this? It might. Awareness should not only FOCUS on fundraising for a cure, but also on hope because there are many people who are willing to help. There are organizations who are treating the disorder so children on the spectrum can reach their full potential. Jennifer Richler wrote for Slate about Regressive Autism. Awareness about Regressive Autism increased after Ron Suskind’s essay in the New York Times Magazine about raising a son with autism: “Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney.” Suskind's son Owen was diagnosed with Regressive Autism.

"Suskind describes how, at almost 3 years of age, his son Owen “disappeared.” The child was once “engaged, chatty, full of typical speech,” but then he stopped talking, lost eye contact, even struggled to use a sippy cup."

Richler says Regressive Autism is very rare. Because of the prevalence of Autism, parents are fearing the worst. She says Owen's story is really one of compassion and hope because of the involvement of his parents and engaged therapists.

Find Out More At The Unplugged Panel
Through treatment and therapy, children on the Autism Spectrum will surprise you with what they can accomplish. If you want to find out more...FOCUS Center for Autism will hold an Unplugged Panel at Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted, Connecticut. The Autism Spectrum Unplugged travels statewide to schools, businesses and public venues to talk about their experiences of living with Autism. They have enlightened and educated over 100 audiences from Connecticut to Massachusetts and beyond. The Panel is Thursday, April 3rd at NCCC. It's free. You might want to reserve your space.
Call FOCUS at 860 693-8809.

Commit to Fundraising

Staffing, Not Stigma, Is Biggest Fundraising Challenge for Mental-Health Charities

A recent post in the Chronicle of Philanthropy offers hope to non-profits that help people with mental-health problems, intellectual disabilities, and substance abuse. Some thought it might be stigma holding back efforts to get donors. According to a survey conducted by The Mental Health and Addiction Network, the only thing holding us back is our commitment of resources. Actually, there are five issues.

#1 Lack of Staff

#2 Competition

#3 Need to Diversify

#4 Board Support

#5 Stigma

Click on Stigma, Staffing and Boards – Surprises and Common Struggles  to see the survey results.

Tablets Can Help Teens on the Autism Spectrum

A new study from UNC-Chapel Hill touts the value of Tablets as a teaching tool for Teens on the Spectrum.
The study focuses on teaching independence to high school students with Autism. According to Kara Hume, a researcher at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “It’s clear that teaching independence to students with autism should be a central focus of their activities in high school.”

Independence is the biggest indicator of which students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are likely to live on their own, have a job, and participate in their communities after high school.

The full report is published in Remedial and Special Education.

The Clinical Educational Staff at the FOCUS Center for Autism employs this technology with the Children in the FOCUS Extended Day Treatment Program. They would like to expand it. We're in the process of looking for funding to acquire new iPads.

We'll need your help in acquiring the funds. Have any thoughts? Leads? A willingness to help?