Autism Oregon

Western Oregon University’s (WOU) Teaching Research Institute (TRI) is currently recruiting children with autism under age six for a parent massage study. Participants are being recruited from the Portland, Salem, Albany/Corvallis, and Eugene areas, and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Autism Spectrum Disorder State Library of Oregon has moved from Salem to Hillsboro. To use the library you will need to contact Emma and set up an account.

http://www.orasd.org/state-asd-library

http://library.nwtoolbox.org/cataloging/servlet/presentadvancedsearchred...

A Hope For Autism Foundation is launching a center based program for learners, K-8
please visit www.ahopeforautism.net, or call 503 516 9085 for more information.

Oregon RISE (Respect, Inspire, Support & Educate), previously Oregon PTI (Parent Training & Information Center) and COPE has shuttered its doors as the Executive Director and all board members quit due to "reports of unpaid bills and questionable finances."

The $128,000 per year Executive Director, Janice Roberts, resigned after finding that she was having financial difficulties and loaning herself money. This is a big no-no in the world of nonprofits. The board followed suite by all quitting.

About 40% of children ages 6-17 "who currently use selected health care services" receive behavioral intervention, according to a study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health. Also included in the study were:

Social skills training - 58.79%
Speech or language therapy - 57.68%
Occupational therapy - 42.72%
Behavioral intervention or modification - 39.66%
Cognitive based therapy - 27.52%
Sensory integration therapy - 20.16%
Physical therapy - 17.84%
Complementary and alternative medicine - 17.35%

A really good article on issues and rules to teach when using facebook.

Handy rules from the article:

"1) A lot of people are on Facebook, but most of them don’t visit Facebook unless they want to share a photo, a video, or some news. Don’t take offense if you write someone a message and they don’t get back to you right away.

2) If you write a message to someone, don’t send another until they reply. If they don’t reply, assume they are busy and move on.

A big thanks to Tobi Rates of the Autism Society of Oregon. Tobi points out:

"In addition to physical, speech and occupational therapy, there is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which has been shown through evidence-based studies to bring about substantial positive changes.

The federal government's Office of Personnel Management has determined that Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a medical treatment for autism, not just an educational intervention. In this writer's opinion, this might be the first step in having all insurance companies eventually cover ABA. In Oregon, this is especially important as the state has very few Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and the education system does not implement ABA programs due to their eclectic methodologies.

The bottom of page 5 of http://www.opm.gov/carrier/carrier_letters/2012/2012-12a2.pdf says: