URGENT - Please help save Early Intervention

Please take 10 seconds to visit www.AgenciesForChildrensTherapyServices.org. Enter your address and the site will send letters to your representatives urging them to save Early Intervention from changes that will negatively affect agencies and the children that they serve.
Please forward this to your friends, colleagues, families, and clients. Urge them to take 10 seconds to preserve Early Intervention for the children who benefit from these important services.

Articles and Sites

We've been finding more and more information on Twitter! Follow us by going to www.twitter.com/cktherapy. We retweet the best findings and also share some highlights on facebook. You can find us there by going to www.facebook.com/cooperkidstherapy.

Here are some recent finds:

Via Apraxia_Kids on Twitter: Tech Matrix - Find educational & assistive technology products for kids with special needs http://tinyurl.com/27bjzbs

Via Apraxia_Kids on Twitter: Parents & teachers often tell children to pay attention, what if your child’s brain doesn’t know how to listen? http://tinyurl.com/2eh5dkp

Via @Reuters_Health on Twitter: Pre-term babies face lifetime lung trouble: study http://link.reuters.com/veg98j

Via @Apraxia_KIDS on Twitter: Speech disorder in kids with Down's syndrome MAY NOT BE simply due to "cognitive delay" http://tinyurl.com/2b979o2

Childhood Lead Poisoning, a Stubborn Nemesis: NYT http://tinyurl.com/25wu46h

Article re: Autism and picky eating

Interesting article can be found here titled "Nutritional Risks of Picky Eating May be Higher in Autism."

Inspiration and Insight

Looking for something new to do in your sessions? Check out this blog written by an Early Intervention Speech Therapist in Pennsylvania. She's a great writer and very passionate about what she does and the children she treats. Includes some wonderful ideas for activities to do during your sessions as well as insights into the "life" of an EI therapist.

NYTimes article: Metal Shavings From Swings a Danger to Children With Autism

Please read this article - something to be on the lookout for when using swings for autistic children. Let your families know as well!

EI Rates might be cut - MORE URGENT THAN EVER!

TAKE A MOMENT TO STAND UP FOR EARLY INTERVENTION!

MORE URGENT THAN EVER!! The DOH in Albany has indicated that they are NOT BUDGING and plan to pass proposed regulations that would drastically cut EI rates, allow para-professionals to replace Special Instructors, and force EI agencies to bill Medicaid directly.

Please visit www.AgenciesForChildrensTherapyServices.org. Encourage your friends, family members, and the families for whom you provide to visit as well - one button emails ALL decision makers. Stand up for EI!!!!

KEEP E-MAILING - Let Albany know that this is unacceptable!

Spread the word!! Find Cooper Kids Therapy on Facebook and become a fan - let all of your Facebook friends know how important this is to you! Encourage them to email decision makers with one click! Share our posts on your profile. The more people who see this and email - THE BETTER!!

Follow us on Twitter - @cktherapy. Retweet our announcements encouraging people to stand up for EI! Get your followers involved!

Visit our blog cooperkidstherapy.blogspot.com - forward the link to your entire address book. Encourage everyone you know to take a stand!

Don't let New York's at-risk children down. Don't let your rates be reduced!!! Let the politicians know how you feel - stand up for EI!

URGENT: The Governor's Budget Proposals and Rules changes from DOH severely threaten services to children in the Early Intervention Program. Among the most detrimental changes are RATE CUTS for services and CO-PAYMENTS for parents. NOW is the time to act!

There is ONE SIMPLE and POWERFUL STEP you can take of sending... an e-mail to ALL decision-makers in Albany by visiting www.AgenciesForChildrensTherapyServices.org. Please take this action yourself, and also urge ALL of the families you serve, as well as ALL of your own friends and families to visit www.AgenciesForChildrensTherapyServices.org to be heard in Albany with ONE SIMPLE STEP.

We must partner to problem-solve, and now is the time for action to support children in Early Intervention.

Save Early Intervention!!!!

One simple step to email ALL decision makers and help SAVE EARLY INTERVENTION. Please visit www.AgenciesForChildrensTherapyServices.org. Encourage your friends, family members, and the families for whom you provide to visit as well - one button emails ALL decision makers. Stand up for EI!!!! Take the time and get as many people as possible to visit!

Article on Stuttering from CNN

Here is an article from CNN on new research into what causes stuttering.

Information for Prospective Educators and Providers

A link to the National Center to Improve Recruiting and Retention of Qualified Personnel for Children With Disabilities Website has been posted to the BEI web page, which you can access by clinking HERE. The Center's website provides information to help prospective educators and providers explore special education related careers.

Interesting CNN article

Discusses evidence that Early Intervention in children with autism is effective . . . . .

"A Trip to Holland" by Emily Perl Kingsley

A Trip to Holland

by Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this . . .

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans . . . the Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, Gondolas. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After several months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go.

Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland!" "Holland?" you say. "What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy. I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place of pestilence, famine, and disease. It's just a different place.

So, you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy.

But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around. You begin to notice that Holland has windmills. Holland has tulips. And Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that experience will never, ever, ever go away. The loss of that dream is a very signifcant loss.

But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.

Announcement: Interagency Task Force on Autism Survey

The New York State (NYS) Interagency Task Force on Autism, sponsored by the NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, is seeking input on the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. As a member of the Task Force, the New York State Department of Health encourages individuals with ASD, parents, other family members, non-profit providers, professionals, advocates, and other interested parties to complete the survey. This brief online survey seeks your opinions regarding which services are most important for meeting the needs of individuals with ASD and their families and which activities related to autism NYS should make a priority. You may access the survey at https://app.expressemailmarketing.com/takesurvey.aspx?id=16666The due date for surveys is October 9, 2009. Feel free to share this information with other stakeholders.

CIGNA Autism Parent Education Series

CIGNA
2009-2010 Autism Parent Education Series

This series of telephone seminars will help you better understand physical, mental, and emotional growth in children who may display symptoms of developmental disorders like Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.

The seminars are free, and there is no registration required. They are open to any parent or caregiver interested in learning more about Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders. You can attend any or all seminars.

TOPICS:
The PDD spectrum: What are Autism and Asperger's Syndrome?
September 17, 2009
8:00-9:00 pm EST

My child is autistic - Where do I go from here?
October 22, 2009
8:00-9:00 pm EST

Stress on families with a PDD-diagnosed child
November 12, 2009
8:00-9:00 pm EST

Sibling issues in a PDD family
December 17, 2009
8:00-9:00 pm EST

Tips for daily family life - Haircuts, hygiene, and doctor's visits
January 14, 2010
8:00-9:00 pm EST

Making friends/play dates - Helping your child connect to the outside world
February 11, 2010
8:00-9:00 pm EST

Safety concerns and self-injurious behavior
March 11, 2010
8:00-9:00 pm EST

Caregiver relief: Ways to take care of yourself while taking care of your PDD-diagnosed child
April 15, 2010
8:00-9:00 pm EST

Planning for summer: Routine changes and activities
May 13, 2010
8:00-9:00 pm EST

Seminars will be given by health advocates from the CIGNA Autism team. To listen to a seminar, call toll-free 1.888.892.6703 at the scheduled time. When prompted for a passcode, enter 164265.

Please note, these are general information seminars. If you have specific questions, please contact a health advocate by calling 1.800.274.7603.

Can’t make the seminar but still want the information? Seminars will be available by podcast after the live presentations. Please visit: www.itstimetofeelbetter.com/know_stuff/audio

NEW Online Mandated Reporter Training

Mandated reporters can participate in this 2-hour web-based online training course at any time, 24/7. Once you begin, you will have 30 days to complete the course. In this Flash-based learning application, the existing OCFS curriculum was divided into smaller, more manageable sections. This allows users to save their progress at the end of each section--so they can complete it at their own pace, either in one sitting, or in multiple sessions. Users who log out after completing a section will automatically be returned to the end of their last completed section when they log back on to the training site. The course features interactive exercises that are customized for the major disciplines: Social Services, Education, Law Enforcement, Child Day Care and Medical. The course also addresses definitions, indicators, and how to make a report to the State Central Register. The application is full narrated and includes taped video segments that enhance the learning points. This course meets the New York State Education Department mandatory requirements for Training in Child Abuse Identification and Reporting.

Please click HERE to visit the website.

ABA In-Service with Dr. Diane Fraser July 30, 2009

Cooper Kids Therapy Associates is excited to announce that Dr. Diane Fraser is returning this summer to offer another amazing ABA in-service. Please see the details below:

“Why Children With Autism Often Fail to Acquire a Functional Intraverbal Repertoire”
When: Thursday July 30th, 2009
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Where: Syosset Public Library
PLEASE NOTE – There is a $15 NON-REFUNDABLE registration fee for this in-service – certificates will be mailed to participants.

Space is limited – Please write to allison@cooperkidstherapy.com to reserve your spot as soon as possible. You will receive a confirmation email. The non-refundable registration fee will be deducted from your next invoice. If you do not have a current case with Cooper Kids we will send payment instructions with your confirmation email.

Cooper Kids Therapy is offering an In-service Training!

Cooper Kids Therapy is offering an in-service training to our therapists. Please see the information below:

Finding Your Inner Child: FUNctional Therapeutic Buffoonery
Presented by Gary Wynn, OTR/L, M.A., M.F.A
Date: Thursday April 23, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Syosset Public Library

FUNctional therapeutic buffoonery is an innovative therapeutic technique aimed at transforming the therapeutic environment into a creative play presentation. Learn about the psycho-neurological connection between humor and healing. Leave behind your sense of embarrassment for we will ALL be silly.

SPACE IS LIMITED - RESERVED SEATING - FIRST COME FIRST SERVED

PLEASE WRITE TO ALLISON@COOPERKIDSTHERAPY.COM TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY - YOU WILL RECEIVE WRITTEN CONFIRMATION

Article re: ABA therapy

Cnn.com posted an interesting article about Autism and the effectiveness of ABA therapy. Check it out HERE.

Oppose Early Intervention Parent Fee Proposal

The NYS Legislature may consider the budget, including the proposal to charge parents fees for Early Intervention services, as early as the week of March 23rd. It is critical to spread the word and take action now!

1. Email your state legislators via the InterAgency Council's Web site. An email for parents of children in EI and an email for staff are both available at http://capwiz.com/iacny/state/main/?state=NY

2. Add your name to the New York Zero-to-Three Network's online petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Save-Early-Intervention-in-NYS

3. Forward this information to as many people as possible and urge others to take action!

4. For more information and updates on what you can do to oppose this proposal, contact Randi Levine at (212) 822-9532 or rlevine@advocatesforchildren.org

Copied from the NYC Parent to Parent Website NYC_ParenttoParentNYS@yahoogroups.com

Reminder about EI cuts

In today's economy everybody is hurting. Please take the time to send a message to Gov. Patterson that our children shouldn't suffer for it. Take a moment to visit this website and learn how the NYS legislature is proposing to cut funding to Early Intervention.

Once you access the site, there is a link you can click on to print out preaddressed letters to politicians in Albany. Please print the letters and sign them. Ask your family, friends, and EI families to sign a set as well and mail them off. Let Albany know that it is not acceptable to cut funds to developmentally delayed and disabled children!