Free for All! Resources for Teachers and Students

Free Webinar for All! Resources for Teachers and Students

Join Georgia’s Tools for Life and CREATE/Center 4 AT Excellence

Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013

Time: 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM EST

Presenters: Pat Satterfield, Center 4 AT Excellence 

Pat Kent, Douglas County Schools

Chris Swaim, Forsyth County Schools

Cost: Free

Description: What can teachers do in a world where money is limited and resources are required to help students succeed? They need to find and utilize as many free resources as they can. This webinar will present a variety of websites that are “free for all” and can be used to support student needs, help students experience success, and supplement a student’s core curriculum. Participants will be able to apply and demonstrate free and creative learning resources for all students in diverse learner groups as well as integrate a variety of no cost resources to utilize at Levels 2 and 3 for Response to Intervention. Don’t miss your chance to gain access to these FREE resources!

How to Access Webinar: http://atia.adobeconnect.com/tflfree041813/
To sign on, choose the option "Guest" and add your name and organization. Please use the URL above as it is unique to this PIOC webinar.

Never attended an Adobe Connect webinar before?

Test your connection:
http://atia.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

Get a quick overview:
http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Free Written Productivity Workshop

Written Productivity Including Note-Taking Pens and Software 

Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013

Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Location: SC Assistive Technology Resource Center

Poplar Building, Midlands Center

 8301 Farrow Road, Columbia, SC

Cost: Free, but pre-registration is required.

Presenter: Valeska Gioia, SC Department of Education Assistive Technology Specialist

Description: Many students experience problems with writing and this workshop will show some of the resources that are available to help with writing difficulties. Motor problems will be addressed as well as processing and organizational concerns that many students have trouble with. We will review various programs that are low-cost or free, as well as several note-taking pens that help with writing, organization, and study skills. We will also go over speech recognition programs and the criteria that students need to meet to have success with them.

This training is in the Assistive Technology Resource Center, so no food or drink please.

For questions, call Will McCain at (803) 935-5004 or Lydia Durham at (803) 935-5263 or 800-915-4522.

To learn more or to register, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Helped by Transcendental Meditation®

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Helped by Transcendental Meditation®

The TM® technique effective for reducing stress and anxiety

 One in 88 American children currently suffer from Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the face of this epidemic, a growing number of children with ASD are finding relief through the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique—a simple, effortless meditation practiced 15 to 20 minutes twice daily.  The TM technique is an effective tool for managing high stress levels and improving overall health, as shown by than 340 peer-reviewed studies conducted at research centers includingHarvard, UCLA, and Stanford.

That's why physicians like Norman Rosenthal , M.D., are prescribing TM practice for children with ASD. Rosenthal is the author of the NY Times bestselling book Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation. In the book, he discusses the role that TM practice can play for those with ASD:

"On a theoretical level, how might TM be helping these people with ASD? They clearly have trouble understanding the emotions and expectations of others, which makes interaction stressful and withdrawal understandable. They fear novelty, unexpected situations, and having to adapt to situations in which they don't have control. As with so many other people, TM appears to reduce their stress and anxiety, making it easier for them to venture out, try new things, and learn new skills.

"In addition, it is well known that in people with ASD, there is impaired prefrontal cortex (PFC) function. As we know, the PFC is crucial for making good decisions and judgments. In many situations TM seems to boost PFC functioning, perhaps by reducing stress. This might also explain why people with ASD become more willing to explore new environments and behaviors after they start to meditate."

The TM technique is a simple, natural, effortless procedure practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. Extensive peer-reviewed research studies have found that TM reduces stress and anxiety, improves learning ability, and promotes wellness for mind and body.

The TM technique is available in the USA through Maharishi Foundation USA, a federally recognized non-profit educational organization. Through partnerships with other non-profit organizations and foundations, full TM scholarships have been given to more than 250,000 at-risk children, veterans suffering from PTSD, homeless people, and others.  

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Columbia Parkinson's Support Group

APRIL IS PARKINSON'S AWARENESS MONTH IN THE NATION AND IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Did you know that April is Parkinson's Awareness Month in our nation and the state of South Carolina?

Did you know that every April, Proclamations are issued declaring April to be Parkinson's Awareness Month?

Do you know that you can help raise awareness about Parkinson's disease?  

Have you marked your calendar about our special meeting on April 21, 2013 in honor of Parkinson's Awareness?

YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS SPECIAL MEETING TO CELEBRATE PARKINSON'S AWARENESS MONTH

Our next meeting is Sunday - April 21, 2013 at 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm 

<<< Please note that this meeting will last longer >>>

There may be time after the meeting to ask questions one-on-one with the Parkinson's specialists.

Topic: "Q & A Open Forum Panel of PD Specialists".

We will have doctors and specialists, who treat Parkinson patients, from USC (University of South Carolina) in Columbia SC, MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) in Charleston SC, Georgia Health Sciences University (formally known as MCG) in Augusta GA, and Mary Baldwin College (Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences) in Staunton VA. We will also have a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy Representative from Medtronic Neuromodulation. You will have an opportunity to meet these PD specialists and ask your questions about Parkinson's disease and/or living with Parkinson's in this open forum.

Please send your questions for the doctors "before the meeting" to: contact@columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.org 

Your email questions will be answered "before" those asked at the meeting. We will respect your privacy and will not share your name or email address with anyone, including the panel members. The panel will not receive the questions until at the actual meeting.

Where: Lexington Medical Park 1 - Auditorium - 2720 Sunset Boulevard, West Columbia, SC 29169 - For meeting location maps go to here.

For more information about the members of our April 21st panel, please go to our "Meeting & Events Calendars" page here.

Cost: FREE - Please Bring Guests. We always welcome any guests to come with you. The more your family, friends, neighbors, business associates, or anyone who has an interest in Parkinson's disease can learn about Parkinson's disease, the more support they can provide. We always welcome students from our universities and colleges - and professionals from the medical community! Meetings are open to anyone regardless of race, color, and national or ethnic origin. We welcome anyone afflicted with Parkinson's disease; anyone who has an interest in Parkinson's disease; as well as all visitors, family, friends, and guests to our monthly meetings. There is no cost to attend our meetings.

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

World Autism Awareness Day: Message from the International Space Station.

This year we extended our campaign to raise awareness of autism beyond our planet and into Earth's orbit. Autism Speaks unveiled a video greeting from Astronaut Dan Burbank aboard the International Space Station. This touching salute from NASA sheds incredible light on the fact that autism is not a one state issue, not a one country issue, but a world issue, and that international cooperation is essential in order to make widespread change and progress.
                                    

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Helping Americans on the Autism Spectrum Reach Their Full Potential

Helping Americans on the Autism Spectrum Reach Their Full Potential

From April 2nd:

Valerie Jarrett

April 02, 2013 

04:00 PM EDT

Today marks World Autism Awareness Day, and it was filled with events, meetings, and information campaigns here at the White House, across the Obama Administration, and across the country.

It was fitting that President Obama unveiled a bold new research initiative designed to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain.  The BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative will be essential to advancing what we know about the complexities of autism. Originally referenced during the State of the Union, this ambitious new project was launched with approximately $100 million in the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget, and ultimately aims to help researchers find new ways to treat, cure, and even prevent brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and autism.

As President Obama said today: “We’re still unable to cure diseases like Alzheimer’s or autism, or fully reverse the effects of a stroke. And the most powerful computer in the world isn’t nearly as intuitive as the one we’re born with. So there is this enormous mystery waiting to be unlocked, and the BRAIN Initiative will change that by giving scientists the tools they need to get a dynamic picture of the brain in action and better understand how we think and how we learn and how we remember. And that knowledge could be -- will be -- transformative.”

This initiative builds on President Obama’s renewal of commitments to research, development of support services, and increased collaboration with advocates and family members in the autism community  so that individuals across the autism spectrum can reach their full potential.

In 2011, President Obama issued the first-ever Presidential Proclamation to mark April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day, and has issued similar proclamations every year since. Recognizing that more than 1 in 100 American children are on the autism spectrum, President Obama today called for increased support from educators, researchers, employers and healthcare providers.

He noted the importance of the Affordable Care Act in preventing insurers from denying coverage to children on the autism spectrum, and the assistance ACA will provide families through free screenings and development assessments. 

Like many other members across the Administration, I have a personal connection to those on the autism spectrum. My first job in college was helping to teach a class of young students with autism. I will never forget them nor their parents. It also was a reminder that autism doesn’t affect just the child, but the whole family as well.

President Obama knows that the best way to help my former students and the thousands of American children and adults on the autism spectrum is to make progress in research and health care, but also to raise greater awareness, so that everyone, including children and adults with autism, can live to the fullest.

Valerie B. Jarrett is a Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

List of Camps for Kids with Special Needs

Help Us Update our list of 

Camps for Kids with Special Needs!

The SC Assistive Technology Program updates our list of camps for kids with special needs each year.  Our current list can be found on our website.

If you know of additional camps to add to this list or corrections for any of the listings, please let us know!

Thanks for your help!

To email about additional camps to be added to the list contact Carol Page.

e: Carol.Page@uscmed.sc.edu

To see the current list, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Free Webinar in Collaboration with CREATE/Center 4 AT Excellence:

This is from the Georgia’s Assistive Technology Act Program, Tools for Life

Join Us for a Free Webinar in Collaboration with CREATE/Center 4 AT Excellence:

Interactive Whiteboards and Inclusive Classrooms

Thursday, April 4, 2013
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM EST

Presenters: Pat Satterfield, Center 4 AT Excellence and Diane Talbert, Unified AV Interactive Whiteboards and Inclusive Classrooms

Are you looking for a way to turn your technology investment into an immediate teaching tool? Then be sure to join this session on SMARTs interactive whiteboards, Document Cameras, Response Sets and the SMART Table. The tools are the first step to teaching with 21st century technology, but you need more than just hardware. Join us for a live product webinar where you can see the technology in action and ask your burning questions about how these tools can help you engage all students in your instruction!

Instructions on How to Access this Webinar
Click this link to join the meeting: http://atia.adobeconnect.com/tflinc040413/
To sign on, choose the option "Guest" and add your name and organization. Please use the URL above as it is unique to this webinar.

Never attended an Adobe Connect webinar before? Test your connection:
http://atia.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

Get a quick overview:
http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview

Earn Credits for Your Participation!

CEU’s will be administered through Georgia Tech Professional Education
To receive your credit verification form, please send an e-mail with the type of credit you are requesting and include the name and date of the webinar, your full name, organization, email address, and date of birth (DOB) to Liz Persaud atliz.persaud@gatfl.gatech.edu

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Presidential Proclamation -- World Autism Awareness Day, 2013

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION
 

Today, public health officials estimate that 1 in every 88 children in America is growing up on the autism spectrum. It is a reality that affects millions of families every day, from the classroom to the job market. And while our country has made progress in supporting Americans with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), we are only beginning to understand the factors behind the challenges they face. On World Autism Awareness Day, we recommit to helping individuals on the autism spectrum reach their full potential.

To achieve that goal, we need a health care system that works for children and adults with ASDs. The Affordable Care Act prevents insurers from denying coverage to children on the autism spectrum, and it ensures new health plans must cover autism screenings at no cost to parents. Beginning in 2014, the Act will make it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against men and women with preexisting conditions, including ASDs. And looking ahead, my Administration is investing in medical research that can help unlock tomorrow's breakthroughs in autism detection, intervention, and education.

Leveling the playing field for Americans on the autism spectrum also takes commitment in our schools. That is why we are advancing initiatives to help students with ASDs get a good education free from discrimination and undue hardship. And it is why we are making sure that education can lead to meaningful employment by supporting vocational rehabilitation programs and opening higher education to more people on the autism spectrum.

All Americans should have the chance to live full, independent lives and follow their talents wherever they lead. This month, we recognize Americans with ASDs who are walking through doors of opportunity, and we recommit to opening them wider in the years ahead.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2, 2013, as World Autism Awareness Day. I encourage all Americans to learn more about autism and what they can do to support individuals on the autism spectrum and their families.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

 

BARACK OBAMA

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Surfers for Autism

The Surfers For Autism mission is to unlock the potential of people with developmental delays, support advocacy for autism issues and scientific research. Our focus is to eliminate stigma through public awareness and education and to unite communities through volunteerism.

Our History

It was December of 2007 when a simple idea was presented to a small group of South Florida surfers by a member whose life and family have been touched by autism. The concept of introducing children on the autism spectrum to surfing took hold and the group began planning for the inaugural Deerfield Beach event.

Fundraising efforts help us fulfill our mission of bringing these life-changing events to as many communities as possible and to help fund autism research, awareness and advocacy. Fundraising would be conducted by soliciting local businesses to donate product and services for a raffle and through the sale of event specific T-shirts.

On April 5, 2008, the inaugural Surfers For Autism event was held on the north side of the Deerfield Beach Pier where 40 surfers with autism hit the water and over $10,000 was raised to benefit autism associated charities. The organization has since hosted events in several locations on Florida’s East Coast, and single events have registered as many as 200 surfers and raised close to $20,000.

At a SFA event, our surfers are provided a safe environment where two to four highly skilled and trained surf instructors carefully guide them into waves. Our surfers and their families are treated like rock stars and enjoy a day filled with a range of activities including stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, live music, face-painting, games, bounce houses, fire engine tours and much more. A catered lunch is also provided, all at no cost. This is a very special day where children with ASD interact with typical peers and wow families with their capabilities. These events are examples of inclusion at the highest level.

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

parents-biker-community-rallies-surfers-autism

Parents, biker community rallies for Surfers for Autism

On most days, Abigail Maas, who has a severe form of autism, is nonverbal and in constant motion, her 8-year-old arms flailing about.

But on beach days, when she gets out on the water, lying on a surfboard, she is transformed.

“Surf day is the only day she is not medicated. She is so calm,” said her mother, Priscilla Maas. “It brings tears to my eyes … to see her out there, to see her body relax.”

That’s why Priscilla and her husband, Ace Maas, held the second annual Bikes and Boards Show on Sunday at the motorcycle shop they own on the Northside. Proceeds went to Surfers for Autism, a Florida-based nonprofit that holds 15 events a year across the state to introduce surfing to children who have autism.

Despite rainy weather, 13 vendors and more than a dozen motorcycles showed up for the event, which included a judged bike show and tattoo contest, food and novelty sales, $500 worth of raffle prizes and a band called Second Time Around. Last year’s event had far fewer vendors and raised $2,000; Priscilla Maas said she hoped the 2013 version would raise even more, even with the rain.

The Maas family hooked up with the Surfers for Autism after the nonprofit had a surfing event in Jacksonville. They were amazed at the therapeutic benefits for Abigail and other children who have autism.

To read more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Autism Speaks: Light it Up Blue

Each April 2, Autism Speaks celebrates Light It Up Blue along with the international autism community, in commemoration of the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day. Light It Up Blue is a unique global initiative that kicks-off Autism Awareness Month and helps raise awareness about autism. In honor of this historic day, many iconic landmarks, hotels, sporting venues, concert halls, museums, bridges and retail stores are among the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities that take part to Light It Up Blue.

It's easy and fun to Light It Up Blue! Register your Light It Up Blue events today. Whether you're joining as an individual, or the manager of a building, store, school, cultural institution, restaurant, or media entity, you can pledge to Light It Up Blue and share your events.

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Author Kathy Lette Reveals What it’s Like to Raise an Autistic Child.

Kathy Lette: Raising a child with Asperger’s is like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle

Author Kathy Lette reveals what it’s like to raise an autistic child.

My son Julius was diagnosed with autism aged three. The word ‘autism’ slid into me like the sharp cold edge of a knife. This is a diagnosis that drags you down into the dark. The doctor had reduced my cherished child to a black-and-white term. But to me, my little boy was full of the most vibrant colours. I felt disbelief, followed by dismay and then by a fiercely protective, lioness-type love. Finally, many, many experts, tests and schools later, my son was rediagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum.

Jules was my first born, so it took me a while to realise something was different. Before Jules was born, all I knew about autism is that it’s a lifelong disability chiefly characterised by an inability to communicate effectively. I now know that it means not getting a joke, not knowing what to say then saying the wrong things, being told off but not understanding why, doing your best but still getting it wrong, feeling confused, frightened, out of sync all day, every day. As a mum, well, sometimes I feel I didn’t give birth to Jules but found him under a spaceship and am raising him as my own. It’s like trying to put together a giant jigsaw puzzle, without the benefit of the coloured photo on the box. There is no owner’s manual.

My new book is a work of fiction but inspired and informed by my own experiences. I only write because it’s cheaper than therapy, so it has been a relief to finally talk about the heartbreak and hilarity of raising a child on the spectrum. As the mother of a child, your guilt gland throbs. Was it something I ate while pregnant? Soft cheese? Sushi? Was it the glass of wine I shouldn’t have drunk in the final trimester? If only I’d feng shui-ed my aura in yogalates classes chanting to whale music like Gwyneth Paltrow and Organic Co. But then you come to accept your child for the exceptional little person he is. I no longer think people are normal or abnormal. I think they’re ordinary and extraordinary. And people with Asperger’s are quite remarkable. My own son is Wikipedia with a pulse.

The increased awareness around Asperger’s is helpful. And I hope my own novel helps de-stigmatise the condition while also promoting tolerance and understanding. And that it gives some comic comfort and much-needed camaraderie to the thousands of parents struggling to raise special children. Because trying to cope on your own is as effective as standing up to Voldemort with a butter knife.

People with Asperger’s may not contribute to society in conventional terms but that doesn’t make them less valuable and it’s up to us to help them flourish, starting with stamping out the bigotry that excludes people with disabilities from mainstream life. It’s criminal to squander their considerable talents. People with Asperger’s often feel they’re drowning in their own brain waves. I hope this novel, in its own small way, acts as a small literary life raft.

The Boy Who Fell To Earth is published in paperback on April 11. Kathy is promoting Quick Reads, which produces bite-size books to encourage people to read. www.quickreads.org.uk

To read the full article, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.