AutismOregon.org

Be There! Be Heard!

When: Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 11 AM, Rally starts at 11:45

Where: Steps at the State Capitol, 900 Court St. Salem
Room 50 for pre-rally issue updates and information

What is happening? Legislators, advocates, families and self advocates will be speaking on the Capitol Steps! It is important to demonstrate the strength of the DD Community!! We need YOU!

From NAMI Oregon (National Alliance of Mentally Ill, Oregon). Some autism-related treatments fall under the mental health umbrella (behavior therapy with a psychiatrist), so please consider showing up or writing testimony if this applies to your family.

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NAMI OREGON
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Pack the House -- Mental Health Budget Bills Up for Hearing
April 06, 2007

NAMI Members:

There are some autism websites popping up that are done in Spanish. Please pass these on:

http://www.manitasporautismo.com/index.html
http://autismoaba.blogspot.com/
http://groups.msn.com/AutismoABA/

A controversial website called Hating Autism has posted a story titled More Proof That Autism Is Mercury Poisoning. Apparently peer reviewed studies by Nataf, et al. (2006) and Geier and Geier (2006) have shown that many children with autism have mercury poisoning. There is an accurate, inexpensive test to analyze the urinary porphyrin patterns.

Does your child need a welcome place for story time even if he or she can't sit patiently or is obsessed with the light switch? Do you want a place where parents could also meet each other? "Sensory" Story Times are available at two locations:

Capital Hill in SW Portland
Woodstock in SE Portland

Attendance was great at first but it has really fallen off, so if any of you are interested in this sort of thing--please go!

A new policy was just added April 4th to allow school districts to give alternative testing to an additional 2% of the student population. The change could affect up to 30% of students on IEPs.

According to TCTA website:

Applications for the Fairview Trust will begin April 2 and goes through April 30.

The Fairview Trust provides funding for modifications and equipment that that are designed to increase independence or contribute to the health, safety and welfare of people with developmental disabilities.

Here is the link to the PDF for the grant procedures, including eligibility:

http://dhsresources.hr.state.or.us/WORD_DOCS/DE2414P.doc

Here is a link to the application:

http://dhsresources.hr.state.or.us/WORD_DOCS/DE2414.doc

If you are wondering if you child under 18 qualifies for Social Security Insurance (SSI), you may want to check out: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/

Follow the menu items below to see if you qualify and to apply. It takes you step-by-step for how to go about applying for SSI for children under age 18.

Disability & SSI
Qualify & apply | Already receiving benefits
Ticket to Work | Adults disabled before age 22
More disability information | SSI for people 65 and older

MANDATED BENEFIT FOR MENTAL OR NERVOUS CONDITIONS AND CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY, GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE

On January 1, 2007, Senate Bill 1, Mental Health Parity, went into effect in Oregon. Pervasive Developmental Disorders are now a covered condition. This means that coverage for Pervasive Developmental Disorders are provided “at the same level as, and subject to limitations no more restrictive than, those imposed on coverage or reimbursement of expenses arising from treatment for other medical conditions.”

On Thursday, April 5, The Oprah Winfrey Show will devote a full hour to autism.

Portions of Autism Speaks' documentary, Autism Every Day, will be featured throughout the program, entitled The Faces of Autism. Several of the parents featured in the film, including Jesse Mojica, Katie Wright and Michele Pierce Burns, will participate in the show, along with Autism Speaks Co-founder Suzanne Wright.