We are so proud of Gavin!  He Graduated from Preschool on June 4 of this year.  He absolutely loved his class, and has begun interacting with children his own age now!  We still have a few hurdles (still working on the potty training, as well as a few language issues), but his teachers and speech therapists at school think the outlook is good.

Next year, Gavin will start kindergarten at a new school.  We visisted his class and met with his new teachers also.  I think next year will be great for him!

This summer we will be working on a number of things…including potty training.  Everyone send good vibes this way as we try some different approaches to this issue!

Don’t forget to check out Gavin’s Photo Gallery for more photos!

We got some great news!  Gavin’s full progress report came in, and with the exception of potty training, he is making incredible progress in all areas.  He is doing extremely well in speech therapy, and has begun using proper phrases at appropriate times now!  We are still working on matching items (he still needs adult prompting) and a few others but I am amazed at the progress they are making with him.

Last night he was thirsty, but instead of crying and throwing a tantrum he came up to me with his cup and asked "Can I have some red juice please mommy?"  This is incredible progress because when he started school he simply could not do that!

Dave and I are both very excited about the changes he has been making with his communication, and while it’s not perfect quite yet, he is on track and keeps making progress.

The progress report we got from school today was, for the most part, pretty good.

This morning he went into the classroom and put up his backpack with no adult prompting.

He attended well at independent time, working with the kitchen center and puzzles

He also attended well in small group where they worked on shapes, numbers and counting.

He worked with Letters, Books, Numbers, Art and Music today during class time.

He chose a hot dog for lunch with no adult prompting, and at all his food.

During recess he played nicely with friends on the playground.

He had Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy today.

It was a typical Monday for him, and he needed a lot of help following directions from his teachers.

Overall, he was happy and a little fussy and grumpy.

We are working on getting him to follow direction better, but the fact that he chose lunch, put up his backpack and did well in small group today is a big improvment!  This is the start of a good week for him!

• Monday- Winter, please wear a scarf or mittens!
• Tuesday- Fall, please wear a hat that can "blow away in the wind"
• Wednesday- Summer, please wear sunglasses to keep our eyes from the bright summer sun
• Thursday- Spring, wear rain boots or a rain coat if you have one
• Friday- Different types of weather (rain, sun, partly cloudy, windy, storms) wear your favorite season’s clothes!

Click Here to view Gavin’s Class Objectives for this week!

Hi Parents,

I hope you are all staying warm! We are in our last week of Holiday Celebrations and this week we are learning all about shapes as we make a Santa, learning about different cultures as we discuss Hanukkah and make a menorah, and Kwanzaa as we make a traditional beaded necklace.

Our Holiday Party is on Friday from 11:00-11:30. We hope you can join us!

Have a wonderful Holiday season!
Katie

Here is a .PDF of what they are learning this week.

Visit www.change.gov to submit your ideas

It is time for aggressive action from the grassroots level. President-Elect Obama and the Transition team need to hear from ASA and our community in a VERY BIG way!

Please visit the Health Care page of http://www.change.gov/ and and advance the agenda to support individuals with autism and their families. The more people write in to tell the new administration their autism concerns, the bigger chance we have of improving the lives of all affected by autism.

Not sure what to write? Here’s a few things you could bring up:

Start off with a brief explanation why you are concerned and want things to change. 

I am the parent of a child with autism and I want my child to have happy and productive life just as any parent would want for their child.

Provide some facts such as:

Prevalence

• 1 in 150 U.S. children is diagnosed with autism. Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism.
• 1.5 million Americans have an autism spectrum disorder

Diagnosis

• Less than a decade ago, the disease was diagnosed at age 3 or 4. Now it is routinely diagnosed at 2.
• Symptoms range from mild to severe. Many people with autism display rigid routines and repetitive behaviors.

Cost

• Lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism: $3.5 million to $5 million
• Annual U.S. cost: $90 billion

The explosion of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related disorders in the United States constitutes the largest health care crisis in our nation’s history.  It has been estimated that 1 in 150 children will be diagnosed with ASD, with recent data suggesting that as many as 1 in 67 boys are now affected.

Autism is the fastest growing disability in the country, now affecting an estimated 1.5 million individuals – more prevalent among our children than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. There are approximately 24,000 new cases of autism diagnosed each year.  Every 20 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism in the United States.

The alarming increase in autism spectrum disorders must be considered a national health emergency that requires the allocation of significant resources, aggressive research toward effective treatments for those affected, and rigorous investigation into causation for the protection of future generations. Equally important is to ensure that individuals affected by autism receive help TODAY.

Offer solutions, such as:

Legislative Agenda

Please support Expanding the Promise to Individuals with Autism Act.  This bill would provide adults the services they need to lead a productive and meaningful life. The Autism Society of America works to ensure that adults living with autism have access to appropriate employment, housing, and services. ASA chapters have been instrumental in developing job training programs and creating independent living or residential services opportunities for adults with autism.  This act will allow these programs to grow and serve more adults nationwide. 

Please support Full Funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Federal funding is $10.5 billion short of full funding this year leaving thousands of children without services. 

Pass this information on to family, friends, neighbors and anyone else you know who has an interest in improving the lives of all affected by autism.  Then, ask them to go to the site and do the same.  Together, we can create positive change!

ARTICLE SOURCE