Live theater is something many people find enjoyable and stimulating, but for those with sensory defects it can be uncomfortable and even painful.

Now South Bay Musical Theatre is offering an autism-friendly performance during its upcoming run of Guys and Dolls.

The performance takes place on May 31 at 7:30 p.m. and marks the first effort of a Bay Area theater company to offer an autism-friendly show.

In October 2011, Disney Theatrical Productions worked with the nonprofit Theatre Development Fund to stage an autism-friendly performance of The Lion King on Broadway in New York. It was so successful it is doing a second staging of the show in September; at the end of April it did a performance of Mary Poppins.

The SBMT production is at the urging of Anita Hsiung Carey, a vocal director and pianist with the theater company.

Carey's 8-year-old son has severe autism, but enjoys attending rehearsals with his mother.

Knowing how much he enjoys the rehearsals made Carey suggest the company try doing the special performance.

During the May 31 performance, house lights will be brighter, there will be no strobe lights, the sound will be lowered and audience members will be able to walk around the theater and talk during the show. Extra staff will be on hand to help.

Tickets for the special performance are $20 for adults and $10 for children. SBMT is donating proceeds from that show to Wings Learning Center, which

Regular performances of Guys and Dolls run May 19 to June 9 at Saratoga Civic Theatre, 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga. For information and tickets to any of the performances visit http://www.southbaymt.com or call 408.266.4724.

Read the original here:
Autism-friendly 'Guys and Dolls' at Saratoga Civic Theatre

Live theater is something many people find enjoyable and stimulating, but for those with sensory defects it can be uncomfortable and even painful.

Now South Bay Musical Theatre is offering an autism-friendly performance during its upcoming run of Guys and Dolls.

The performance takes place on May 31 at 7:30 p.m. and marks the first effort of a Bay Area theater company to offer an autism-friendly show.

In October 2011, Disney Theatrical Productions worked with the nonprofit Theatre Development Fund to stage an autism-friendly performance of The Lion King on Broadway in New York. It was so successful it is doing a second staging of the show in September; at the end of April it did a performance of Mary Poppins.

The SBMT production is at the urging of Anita Hsiung Carey, a vocal director and pianist with the theater company.

Carey's 8-year-old son has severe autism, but enjoys attending rehearsals with his mother.

Knowing how much he enjoys the rehearsals made Carey suggest the company try doing the special performance.

During the May 31 performance, house lights will be brighter, there will be no strobe lights, the sound will be lowered and audience members will be able to walk around the theater and talk during the show. Extra staff will be on hand to help.

Tickets for the special performance are $20 for adults and $10 for children. SBMT is donating proceeds from that show to Wings Learning Center, which

Regular performances of Guys and Dolls run May 19 to June 9 at Saratoga Civic Theatre, 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga. For information and tickets to any of the performances visit http://www.southbaymt.com or call 408.266.4724.

Read the original here:
Autism-friendly 'Guys and Dolls' at Saratoga Civic Theatre

Health Legislator is confident of funding, but expected donations from UHC, Zions are elusive.

Despite assurances during the Legislative session that major insurance companies and a bank would donate $1 million toward a new autism treatment pilot, the state has not yet received any money.

That could halve one part of the program, set to begin this summer, at a time when a study of a small area in Utah indicated the state could have the highest autism rate in the nation.

"As of right now there is no money," said Marc Babitz, director of the Division of Family Health and Preparedness at the Utah Department of Health. "I am not aware of one private donation."

But Rep. Ronda Menlove, R-Garland, who sponsored the bill to create the pilot, says there is "no question" that money is on its way.

"Weve been working with the entities this past week working out the details," she said.

Expected donor Zions Bank did not immediately comment. Intermountain Healthcare says it plans to provide financial support although the details are still being finalized.

The two-year pilot program is expected to pay for therapy for about 350 children between the ages of 2 and 6, through a combination of Medicaid, state and private dollars.

Three groups of children will be served, including up to 50 covered by the Public Employees Benefit and Insurance Program; at least 200 kids covered by Medicaid, supported by $4.5 million in Medicaid dollars; and up to 100 from the autism fund, paid in part with private dollars. Those children may be on private insurance or be uninsured.

Babitz said he remained hopeful the private money would still materialize; $1 million in state dollars will become available in July.

Read the original here:
Utah autism treatment pilot struggles for funding

COLUMBUS, GA -

Recent studies show 1 in 88 children are diagnosed with autism in the United States.

A group of Columbus students are not letting their diagnosis hold them down, andthey can now say they are authors after penning the pages of a new book.

The short stories and pictures of animals inA is for Autismwereall written and illustrated by students with autism, like 16-year-old Keveran McDonald. Keveran's father, Mark, says it is overwhelming to see the pages A is for Autism.

"I'm very proud of his accomplishments. Sometimes you don't think things like this would be possible, but they surprise you. Just makes me really proud," said McDonald.

Rebecca Gristina, the President of the Board of Directors at Bridges Learning Center in Columbus, a school that focuses on helping autistic children, says this three-year project allowed a group of their students to channel their emotions.

"A lot of the kids struggle with building relationships and friendships with peers. Traditionally developing peers, and these stories are mostly about friendship," said Gristina.

All of the proceeds from book sales will go back to the school where 75% of the students have some kind of financial aid. That money will go to close that gap as well as help with therapy for the students.

"We involve our students in hypo-therapy which is horseback riding and water therapy. We also have a computer program called brain jog which focuses the kids on their eye movement in order to build that eye contact," said Gristina

McDonald says because of this school, his son has a chance to thrive.

Here is the original post:
Local students with autism write book

COLUMBUS, GA -

Recent studies show 1 in 88 children are diagnosed with autism in the United States.

A group of Columbus students are not letting their diagnosis hold them down, andthey can now say they are authors after penning the pages of a new book.

The short stories and pictures of animals inA is for Autismwereall written and illustrated by students with autism, like 16-year-old Keveran McDonald. Keveran's father, Mark, says it is overwhelming to see the pages A is for Autism.

"I'm very proud of his accomplishments. Sometimes you don't think things like this would be possible, but they surprise you. Just makes me really proud," said McDonald.

Rebecca Gristina, the President of the Board of Directors at Bridges Learning Center in Columbus, a school that focuses on helping autistic children, says this three-year project allowed a group of their students to channel their emotions.

"A lot of the kids struggle with building relationships and friendships with peers. Traditionally developing peers, and these stories are mostly about friendship," said Gristina.

All of the proceeds from book sales will go back to the school where 75% of the students have some kind of financial aid. That money will go to close that gap as well as help with therapy for the students.

"We involve our students in hypo-therapy which is horseback riding and water therapy. We also have a computer program called brain jog which focuses the kids on their eye movement in order to build that eye contact," said Gristina

McDonald says because of this school, his son has a chance to thrive.

See the original post:
Columbus students with autism write book

At the University of Minnesotas Institute of Child Development in Minneapolis, Microsoft's Kinect is being put to a novel use: detecting autism. New Scientist reports that researchers have equipped a nursery with five Kinect cameras, which, together with computer vision algorithms that can detect unusual behavior, may be able to speed the diagnosis of autism.

How exactly does the system work? The Kinects can ID individual children based on their shape and clothing. Monitoring these children, the Kinects feed their data to a series of PCs with software that can track the kids activity levels, comparing them against an average. If a given child is either more or less active than average, he or she might have autism. Then again, he or she might just be tired, or hyper, which is why at that point an old-fashioned human doctor will have to weigh in on the matter.

"The idea is not that we are going to replace the diagnosis, but we are going to bring diagnosis to everybody," one of the researchers, Guillermo Sapiro, told New Scientist. "The same way a good teacher flags a problem child, the system will do automatic flagging and say, 'Hey, this kid needs to see an expert'."

This is one of the extreme instances of what Microsoft has termed the Kinect Effect, the tendency of people outside of Redmond to come up with novel uses for a technology originally intended simply for gaming. (It was an effect documented well before Microsoft decided to condone and, smartly, co-opt it.) Sapiro and colleagues will present their system at the forthcoming IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in St. Paul.

Sapiro et al. hope to bring their novel use of the Kinect even further, perhaps automating some of what Sapiro calls the very difficult and expert analysis that a psychiatrist would do. Sapiros team has already developed computer-vision algorithms that can detect more subtle indicators of autism spectrum disorders, like a childs ability to follow an object with his eyes. Perhaps some day, a Kinect-powered video game could both entertain a child while testing him for a disorder.

New Scientist doesnt make clear whether Sapiros projects have official Microsoft approval, but Microsoft has endorsed at least one other project in which Kinect is used to treat children with autism, as evidenced by this video from last year.

BBDO and Autism Speaks also used Kinect for a bit of autism-related advocacy. In an effort to raise awareness about the challenges of parenting a child with autism, BBDO built an interactive Kinect-powered installation featuring a virtual girl who simply refused to look users in the eye.

Im unsure whether the proliferation of autism-related Kinect hacks says something profound about the nature of motion-sensing its connection to autism spectrum disorders, or whether its simply an indication of the ways in which Kinect hacks increasingly touch on every aspect of modern life. After all, autism certainly isnt the only medical condition people have tried to ameliorate, detect, or treat with Microsofts transformative technology.

Read more:
Can Kinect Help Detect Autism?

By Alan Johnson

The Columbus Dispatch Friday May 11, 2012 5:49 AM

Sgt. Mark Farrar of the Akron Police Department, here with his son Kyle, spends many days speaking to fellow law-enforcement officers about how to deal with people with autism, like Kyle, now 5.

Akron Police Sgt. Mark Farrar knows the facts of autism in his head and the pain of autism in his heart.

With the incidence of autism rising rapidly 1 in 88 children (and 1 in 54 boys) are born with some form of it law-enforcement agencies are being affected because, Farrar says, the autistic are seven times as likely as others to come into contact with first responders such as police, fire and paramedics. They also are more likely to be crime victims.

We talk about autism in kids as if they mysteriously disappear when they become adults, Farrar said yesterday at Attorney General Mike DeWines Two Days in May crime-victims conference in the Hyatt Regency. Those kids are growing up, becoming adults, living in our communities. We cant assume first responders know how to deal with them on their own.

Farrar, 39, who spends half his time patrolling the streets of Akron, has a son Kyle, 5, who has Aspergers syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. Farrar became a self-taught expert on the subject after his sons autism was diagnosed, and he now trains law-enforcement and other organizations about autism, often on his own time.

Autism is a development disorder that often shows up early in childhood. It is marked by communication and behavioral issues but is not mental retardation.

An audience of 1,000 was spellbound yesterday as Farrar blended the story of his familys struggles raising Kyle and the growing trend for autistic individuals to become victims and sometimes perpetrators of crime. He showed a clip from the Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman movie Rain Man, offering a glimpse of life with autism.

We have to convince police theres a need for this training, not because I have a son, but because of research and statistics, he said. As I say in training law enforcement, This is coming to a call near you.

See more here:
Officer urges autism training for first responders

NEW HAVEN, Conn., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Prometheus Research, a leading provider of data management services for behavioral and biomedical research, announced today that it has been selected by Autism Speaks to develop an integrated data management system which will enable autism researchers to securely manage and share their data.The newly organized Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) Data Coordinating Center (DCC) centralizes clinical, environmental, and biospecimen data from several Autism Speaks-funded programs and initiatives to better serve the research community.

Using their Research Exchange Database (RexDB) platform and best-of-breed electronic data capture system, ROADS, Prometheus empowers researchers to effectively manage and exchange interdisciplinary data while maintaining the flexibility to incorporate new significant results such as genetic, EEG, imaging data and additional studies.

"We're very excited to begin working with Autism Speaks, a premier autism research and advocacy organization.This project will enable wider integration of Autism Speaks' valuable research data and enable them to re-use the data in ways not possible before," said Dr. Leon Rozenblit, President and CEO of Prometheus Research.

Prometheus Research's domain expertise in autism and related disorders makes it an ideal partner for Autism Speaks.Prometheus has supported or collaborated on some of the largest and most ambitious autism research endeavors in the world, including the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR). The tools and processes they've helped develop in the areas of study governance, data collection, data curation, data distribution, and data persistence are now considered best practices for collaborative research, and are already in use at places like the Yale Child Study Center and the Marcus Autism Center.

"AGRE's dedication to collaboration and data sharing has accelerated the pace of autism research significantly over the last decade," said Autism Speaks Vice President of Clinical Programs Clara Lajonchere, Ph.D. "We strive to utilize technology that will meet the emerging needs of science and feel that the team at Prometheus Research has developed the tools that will help us achieve our goals."

About Autism SpeaksAutism Speaks is the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization. It is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Mr. Wright is the former vice chairman of General Electric and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal. Since its inception, Autism Speaks has committed over $180 million to research and developing innovative resources for families. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 95 cities across North America. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit http://www.autismspeaks.org.

About Prometheus ResearchPrometheus Research provides data management services and web-native data-management software to biomedical researchers investigating autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Its team specializes in designing and building systems capable of accelerating complex interdisciplinary research and of multiplying the value of hard-won research data. Prometheus staff are consummate innovators, and Prometheus technology powers some of the most ambitious and important research endeavors in autism, including the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI). Many of these innovations also are made available to the open source software community, most notably HTSQL, an instant Web interface for databases, and the Research Exchange Database, RexDB. To learn more about Prometheus Research, please visit http://www.prometheusresearch.com.

See the article here:
Autism Speaks Selects Prometheus Research to Develop Integrated Data Management System

NEW YORK, May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Rethink Autism, the first and only autism curriculum aligned with the Common Core State Standards, is an honored recipient of the 2012 SIIA CODiE Award for Best Instructional Solution for Special Needs Students, the second consecutive year it has won this award. The Software and Information Industry Association's (SIIA) CODiE Awards recognize excellence in digital content and educational technology.

"We recognize the tremendous challenges faced by families, school districts and organizations serving children on the autism spectrum. In developing the Rethink Autism platform, we wanted to make clinical best practices accessible, affordable and easy to use for anyone, anywhere in the world," said Daniel Etra, Co-founder and CEO. "With this award, and with thousands of users in schools, organizations, universities and homes in all 50 states, as well as 27 countries around the world, we really feel like we have achieved our goal."

Rethink Autism's unique web-based program provides parents and educators with a comprehensive evidence-based curriculum through 1,200+ video-based teaching steps, parent and staff training modules, an assessment tool, and progress tracking features. The curriculum, developed and endorsed by leaders in the field of autism treatment and research, spans the entire autism spectrum and covers a broad range of skills, including academics, language, social, motor, daily living, and behavior managements.

The CODiE Awards are the industry's only peer-reviewed awards program and provide member companies with a unique opportunity to earn praise from their competitors. From a wide range of nationally and internationally nominated products and services, third-party judges narrowed the field down to 128 finalists. From these finalists, SIIA members reviewed these finalists and voted to select 29 winners.

"This year's winners reflect excellence and vision," noted SIIA Vice President for the Education Division, Karen Billings. "I'm proud to congratulate them on the success of their applications, platforms, and products."

To learn more about Rethink Autism, visit the company's home page: http://www.rethinkautism.com/

To learn more about the SIIA CODiE Awards, visit the organization's home page: http://www.siia.net/codies/2012/

To learn more about the Common Core State Standards, visit the organization's home page: http://www.corestandards.org/

About Rethink Autism (http://www.rethinkautism.com)

Rethink Autism, Inc. seeks to ensure that every child on the autism spectrum has access to effective and affordable evidence-based treatment options by providing professionals, parents, and family members with the tools and information necessary to teach children with autism in a way that is easy to understand and apply. Rethink Autism was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters at 19 West 21st Street in New York City.

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Rethink Autism Wins Prestigious 2012 CODiE™ Award for Best Instructional Solution for Special Needs Students for ...

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Autism expert Lynette Louise of Brain and Body agrees that every mom deserves to be pampered and recognized on Mother's Day. For parenting partners and kids this is a great opportunity to prove that you appreciate the lengths mom goes to every day, by helping out for one! Unfortunately, moms of autism often get less pampered because families and friends aren't sure what to do.

Global autism expert, and more importantly, autism mom and individual Lynette Louise, would love to offer some simple suggestions!

Neighbors and Strangers: #1 Think 'Isn't that child beautiful!?' #2 Think 'Isn't that mom awesome!?' #3 Think 'How can I help?' #4 Don't think. Act! Open a door, push a cart, carry a bag, smile!

In-Laws and Extended Relatives: Hire a cleaning lady that uses all natural products and send her to clean-up the mess after Mother's Day.

Siblings: Engage in your special sib's favorite game of repetitive behavior for at least an hour, and laugh a lot!

Parenting Partner: Do ALL the child rearing for the day and then both of you go out to supper. (If the in-laws don't do their job, hire a maid to clean-up the mess. If you can't afford one, involve all the kids and do it yourselves.)

Best Friend: Take her and her special child out while the house gets cleaned.

MOM: Relax and trust your friends and family to do it all! You deserve a day!

Some of these tips and tricks (ie think wonderfully, smile and play favorite game with special sib) will make everyone feel more comfortable every day of the year. Surprisingly they also have the ability to help guide your children in skill acquisition and social comfort. Let Mother's Day be an excuse to begin making those simple, brain-changing adjustments! According to Lynette, "Sooner is better than later, though later is MUCH better than not at all."

Lynette Louise raised eight children four of them were on the spectrum of autism.She was able to guide all but one out of autism and into independence.Lynette travels internationally, performing and speaking on the subject of autism and the efficacy of neurofeedback (biofeedback for the brain).A doubly board-certified PhD candidate at UNM: College of Psychophysiology, she is the author of the inspirational and honest new book MIRACLES ARE MADE: A Real Life Guide to Autism and host of the WebTalk.net radio show A NEW SPIN ON AUTISM: ANSWERS!Her one-woman musical comedy show CRAZY TO SANE raises awareness -- and laughter --around the world.

Read more from the original source:
How to be a Village for an Autism mom this Mother's Day

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Autism expert Lynette Louise of Brain and Body agrees that every mom deserves to be pampered and recognized on Mother's Day. For parenting partners and kids this is a great opportunity to prove that you appreciate the lengths mom goes to every day, by helping out for one! Unfortunately, moms of autism often get less pampered because families and friends aren't sure what to do.

Global autism expert, and more importantly, autism mom and individual Lynette Louise, would love to offer some simple suggestions!

Neighbors and Strangers: #1 Think 'Isn't that child beautiful!?' #2 Think 'Isn't that mom awesome!?' #3 Think 'How can I help?' #4 Don't think. Act! Open a door, push a cart, carry a bag, smile!

In-Laws and Extended Relatives: Hire a cleaning lady that uses all natural products and send her to clean-up the mess after Mother's Day.

Siblings: Engage in your special sib's favorite game of repetitive behavior for at least an hour, and laugh a lot!

Parenting Partner: Do ALL the child rearing for the day and then both of you go out to supper. (If the in-laws don't do their job, hire a maid to clean-up the mess. If you can't afford one, involve all the kids and do it yourselves.)

Best Friend: Take her and her special child out while the house gets cleaned.

MOM: Relax and trust your friends and family to do it all! You deserve a day!

Some of these tips and tricks (ie think wonderfully, smile and play favorite game with special sib) will make everyone feel more comfortable every day of the year. Surprisingly they also have the ability to help guide your children in skill acquisition and social comfort. Let Mother's Day be an excuse to begin making those simple, brain-changing adjustments! According to Lynette, "Sooner is better than later, though later is MUCH better than not at all."

Lynette Louise raised eight children four of them were on the spectrum of autism.She was able to guide all but one out of autism and into independence.Lynette travels internationally, performing and speaking on the subject of autism and the efficacy of neurofeedback (biofeedback for the brain).A doubly board-certified PhD candidate at UNM: College of Psychophysiology, she is the author of the inspirational and honest new book MIRACLES ARE MADE: A Real Life Guide to Autism and host of the WebTalk.net radio show A NEW SPIN ON AUTISM: ANSWERS!Her one-woman musical comedy show CRAZY TO SANE raises awareness -- and laughter --around the world.

Read more from the original source:
How to be a Village for an Autism mom this Mother's Day