Updated FEAT 2012 Calendar

Here's the updated FEAT 2012 Calendar! Please note the summer changes- the addition of pool parties, no Parent Support meetings, no Pump It Up Family Night, and no Tween Scene. 

Tips for Making Middle School Work

Middle school can be a daunting time for a typically developing child, let alone a child with autism. However, a mother of an eighth grade boy with autism wrote a blog for Psychology Today emphasizing that middle school has been more than kind to her child, and we'd like to share her tips with you to help your child thrive during this time.

1. School culture and leadership: The school leaders should understand autism and work to educate the students about autism. When a principal "gets" autism, the results can be amazing and change can follow. 
2. Leveling academic subjects according to ability, not diagnosis: Your child may be better in one subject than another, so don't limit what level at which he or she can learn. Children should excel in the subjects they are strong at, and get support from those they aren't. 
3. Knowledgeable case management: If your child is assigned a manager for his or her IEP, make sure that person has knowledge of autism so that she can assist the teacher in learning about autism.
4. Attention to program modifications and specially designed instructions (SDI):  Does a child require a study guide three days prior to tests? Does he or she need testing in a quiet, alternative environment? Getting all teachers on board to learn SDI's is crucial to your child's success. 
5. Think technology: Look for technological solutions, and make sure your child's IEP includes any technology that will help the child learn. 
6. Positive behavior support: If a child has “behaviors that impede his/her learning or the learning of others,” the behavior box in the IEP should be checked. This should give the child a positive behavior support plan that reflects the middle school environment.
7. Bullying: Bullying is a cultural factor in schools, meaning if the principal doesn't stand for bullying, the effects will be felt by the teacher and the students. 
8. Lunch: Lunch can be torture for kids with autism, and it should be addressed in your child's IEP. Lunch should be a pleasurable time, and it will make learning for the rest of the day that much easier. 
9. Consider chorus/ band and after school activities: Studies show that kids who participate in a music program do better academically, but any after school activities gives your child a positive experience at school where he or she the opportunity to interact with peers. 
10. Create a friendship group: Get together with other parents or an organization like Best Buddies to give your child the opportunity to interact with peers and experience independence. 

Thanks to Kymberly Grosso for this helpful information! Find the full article here.

April 13 State Board of Health Meeting

The Board of Health is looking into problems reported with HPN's insurance coverage for children with Autism.

It's important for you to get involved to change what is happening with the lack of coverage in Nevada. Please plan to attend the next Board of Health Meeting on April 13th at 9 am, especially if you have concerns about any of the following:

• If you have had to are having issues getting your Health Plan of Nevada Insurance Policy cover your child's autism treatment.
• If you feel your child needs more hours than is being covered by your in-network provider under HPN.
• If you were told by your insurance or your in-network provider that your child can only receive 5 or less sessions per week of ABA.
• If you have been told you are on a waiting list for treatment hours.
• If your in-network provider did not prescribe/ recommend a specific amount of treatment hours per week.
• If you live in an area where there is no in-network provider close to you.
• If you were told you  cannot have in-home treatment
• If recommended treatment hours are less than 10 a week
• If you were told your child is too old to be treated.

MEETING LOCATION

Nevada State Health Division 
4150 Technology Way  
Room #303  
Carson City, Nevada  

Southern Nevada Health District 
625 Shadow Lane 
HR Training Room #2 
Las Vegas, NV 

Nevada State Health Division 
Early Intervention Services  
1020 Ruby Vista Drive, Suite 102 
Elko, Nevada

VIDEOCONFERENCING
Call in: 888-363-4734 
Access code: 1585696 

Sport-Social Spring Break

Sport-Social combines sports, social skills, and fun! They teach skateboarding, biking, scootering, basketball, soccer, social skills, music, and more, by using ABA methods but staying flexible and functional. Sport-Social is a fun place for children to learn new skills and make new friends.

Sport-Social will be holding a Half Day Spring Break Camp from April 2-6 from 9-12 pm. If you'd like to reserve a spot, RSVP by this Saturday, March 31! See flier below for details, click here to visit their website.

Open publication 

7 Things You Don't Know About a Special Needs Parent

According to the U.S. Department of Education, about 6 million kids receive special education in the United States. One out of every 10 children under the age of 14 has some type of special need, which includes any physical, cognitive, or medical disability, or chronic or life-threatening illness. Writer Maria Lin shares her expriences raising a child with special needs, which she calls "a blessing and a challenge," and describes seven things you may not know about a special needs parent:

1. "I am tired." Raising any child, typically developing or special needs, is exhausting. However, a child with special needs requires additional therapy sessions, paperwork, hospital visits- all adding additional layers of exhaustion. Factor in the emotional toll of raising a child with special needs can take on the family, and some days you will just feel.... tired. 
2. "I am jealous." Lin states, "When I see a 1-year-old baby do what my son can't at 4 years-old (like walk), I feel a pang of jealousy. It hurts when I see my son struggling so hard to learn to do something that comes naturally to a typical kid, like chewing or pointing. It can be hard to hear about the accomplishments of my friend's kids."
3. "I feel alone." Parenting a special needs child can make you feel like an outsider, even among close friends and family. Connecting with other special needs families can be a godsend, but even then the children have varying degrees of special needs, so no one truly understands. 
4. "I am scared." Lin says, "I worry that I'm not doing enough. What if I missed a treatment or a diagnosis and that window of optimal time to treat it has passed? I worry about Jacob's future, whether he will ever drive a car, or get married, or live independently. I am scared thinking of the hurts he will experience being "different" in what's often a harsh world. I am scared about finances."
5. "I wish you would stop saying retarded, short bus, as long as it's healthy." It is disrespectful and hurtful to mock someone that someone else loves. Pregnant women typically hear, "as long as it's healthy," but Lin wonders, "what if it's not healthy?"
6. "I am human." Even though she has been pushed beyond her limits, Lin is "just like the next mom in some ways. Sometimes I get cranky, my son irritates me, and sometimes I just want to flee to the spa or go shopping (and, um, I often do). I still have dreams and aspirations of my own. I travel, dance, am working on a novel, love good food, talk about dating."
7. "I want to talk about my son/ it's hard to talk about my son." Sometimes it's easier to answer specific questions like, "How did Jacob like the zoo?" rather than, "How's Jacob?" because of the overwhelming nature of the question. Sometimes sharing is easy, and sometimes it's difficult, and it's best when people can respect privacy when it's needed. 

To read the full article, click here.