November, 2007: AutismSource™ is up and running for Connecticut! AutismSource™ is an on-line referral database for autism related services and supports. With over 25,000 nationwide listings, AutismSource™ is a great tool for families to find valuable resources where they live. Now live for Connecticut, AutismSource™ contains listings for services and supports that is accessible 24/7. There is capacity for updates, additions and deletions so if a listing is incorrect or your favorite therapist or other provider is not listed, please add them to the database. As an interactive tool, AutismSource™ will only increase in usefulness as families add and update data. AutismSource™ is free, searchable by location or service type and provides resource listings including many types of service providers, support groups, medical professionals, educational facilities, legal services, government agencies, research centers and more. Both ASCONN and the Autism Society of America strive to include accurate and uptodate listings and resources for our families. Inclusion on AutismSource™, however, does not constitute an endorsement or claim to have personal knowledge of the abilities of those programs, services and providers listed. Please help us spread the word about this valuable tool. If your providers are not listed, they can easily list themselves. Go to AutismSource™ or link from our home page.

Fall 2007: ASCONN is pleased to announce the awards for the 2007 mini-grant program. Response to the third year of our mini-grant program was again overwhelming. We received over 125 applications requesting almost $110,000 in financial support for families around safety and security issues.

A total of 30 grants were awarded (up from 18 from 2006), totaling over $22,000 in direct financial assistance to families, including financing for alarms and new windows with locks and guards for the Carroll family who wrote “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!...My husband and I are very grateful...so many things run through your mind when your child can’t stand up for himself... [now] I can go to bed at night and have a sense of peace...“

Grants awarded ranged from alarm and window guards to locks, specialized high chairs, and strollers, medic alert systems, kid tracker systems and, of course, fencing materials and supplies. Many thanks go to the grant committee members who read through all the grant applications and had to make the difficult decisions about which grants to fund when all of them are so important. If you are interested in working on this program, either in a fund raising capacity or as a reader, please give us a call at 888-453-4975 or e-mail asconn@sbcglobal.net.

With support from the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism, Liberty Bank, Chubb Group and BJ’s Foundation, ASCONN was able to help 30 families in a direct and impactful way. Information about the 2008 program will be available in late winter/early spring. You can help by remembering this program when you are thinking about donations. Don’t forget corporate matching programs that might be available to increase your donation. Help a fellow family in Connecticut, make a donation to ASCONN today. You can send your donations to us at ASCONN, PO Box 1404, Guilford, CT 06437 or donate online. We are a 501(c)(3) and your donation may be tax deductible.


Fall 2007: ASCONN partners with national faith organization to provide Autism Orientation training in Connecticut. When calls come into the ASCONN office from family members and parents who have newly diagnosed children, we always suggest
a number of possibilities for family supports. This can be local parent support groups,
educational workshops, and other professional supports. One of the communities that we have always suggested in this capacity is the faith community. We recognize these take on very individual roles, depending on each individual family faith tradition, but we have found that faith communities have been increasingly exploring their place and opportunity in ministering to families with special needs members.

This is an exciting development that we can attest to the change of attitude within faith outreach leadership. Only a few years ago, calls where we’d suggest a faith communityfor support were met with widely mixed responses. However, we determined that this community had the potential to maximize its own mission in a very critical way - all that was needed was training to equip members of faith organizations with some basic tools. It was this vision of what could be accomplished through caring faith communities that gave birth to our Autism Orientation for Faith Based Communities training workshop. This program was first presented locally in the greater New Haven area, and has been a well received presentation since 2005. The workshop was also chosen as a concurrent session offered at the Autism Society of America 2006 national conference.

Fall 2007: We are excited to announce that national disability ministry "Joni and Friends" will be sponsoring a “Through the Roof Workshop” on Saturday, November 10, 2007 at First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, CT where the focus will be on Autism and the Church. ASCONN will be providing the keynote presentation; Autism Orientation for Faith Based Communities. While the ASCONN presentation is non-denominational in
content and applicable across all faith traditions, this particular presentation will
address some of the specific challenges through Christian perspectives. All are
welcome to attend; registration and more information can be obtained through email
to GreaterBoston@joniandfriends.org, or call First Church of Christ in Wethersfield at
860.529.1575. In addition to the Autism Orientation for Faith Based Communities program, ASCONN also has available:

• Autism Orientation for Parents of Newly Diagnosed Children
• Autism Orientation for Education Professionals and Support Staff
• Autism Orientation for Peer Support Groups
• Autism Orientation for Recreation Providers
• Autism Orientation for Early Childhood and Daycare Providers – NEW!

Additional information is available or contact us at 888-453-4975, e-mail at asconn@sbcglobal.net.

Fall 2007: “Experience the Dream” (download program flier) is a unique arts event celebrating life and the unique and uplifting work of artists Jarrod Law and Valerie Leri. Opening is Friday, Sept, 21 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Café George by Paula, 300 George Street, New Haven. Jarrod Law, Shoot For the Moon Designs, New Haven, is an accomplished artist who records the shape of things and the personalities he encounters, with humor and penetrating vision. His autism, he says, gives him a very different view of the world. Valerie Leri, Rising Tides Artworks, Mashapee, MA uses color, shape and energetic brush strokes inviting us to dream. The childlike enthusiasm and spontaneous expression with which she approaches her subject matter is a celebration of life and art. There will be live music. Light fare and beverages. There is no admittance charge for this event. The artwork can be seen in the Café George gallery weekdays throughout the months of September and October. The artwork is for sale, with a percentage of the proceeds to benefit ASCONN. For more information, contact Dianne at 203-494-3348 or dpacl@optonline.net.

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April is Autism Awareness Month in Connecticut and across the country. The theme “Hometown Heroes” continues from last year and we hope that it becomes the theme in perpetuity! The importance of recognizing those of you who daily take up the challenges that face families and individuals impacted by autism spectrum disorders – well, we can’t say “thank you” enough. As part of this continuing safety campaign, ASCONN is again offering its mini-grant program to families living with autism to help finance the purchase of safety and security equipment, services and supplies. More

For a second year, ASCONN is teaming up with the Westfield Shopping Town Malls in Meriden, Trumbull and Milford to bring autism awareness to the community on Saturday, April 14 and Saturday, April 28. ASCONN is further excited to expand this year’s partnership to include Discovery Toys, who will be demonstrating and selling their line of educational toys, with a percentage of the proceeds to benefit ASCONN’s programs and services. Be sure to check back to find out specific times and locations as well as opportunities to volunteer. We had a terrific group of volunteers last year who spoke to shoppers, handed out literature and even did some face painting!. Call 888-453-4975 or email us to volunteer.

Come celebrate the first day of Autism Awareness Month (no, this isn’t an April Fool’s trick) with the Sound Tigers as they take on the Albany River Rats at 4:00 p.m. at the Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport. Co-sponsored by Cooperative Educational Services, the CT Autism Spectrum Resource Center and ASCONN, the day promises to be fun as we spread Autism Awareness on skates! More Info/Order Tickets

February, 2007: ASCONN announces Autism Spectrum Quarterly, the MagaJournal™ agrees to sponsor conference for a second year. We’d like to take a moment to introduce you to our sponsor. A Magajournal™ combines the readability and interest of a high-level magazine with the substance and depth of a professional journal. It is this combined focus that distinguishes ASQ from other publications of its type. Each issue features a line of research and commentary aimed at helping parents, teachers and clinicians to translate research into practice. By translating research into practice, ASQ seeks to build a bridge between the research and the general autism community, filling a unmet need in the world of autism publications. Each issue features:

• articles by, for and about individuals with ASD
• a focus on families and family issues
• book and product reviews and recommended resources
• contributions by outstanding professionals in the ASD field
• spotlight on best practices to highlight an educator, clinician or paraprofessional support person whose work on behalf of those with ASD has been exemplary
• tips and strategies to translate research into practice
• user-friendly, cutting-edge information from the world of research; and
• so much more!

Find out more about the magazine, read past issues and subscribe at www.asquarterly.com.

February, 2007: Autism Orientation for Peer Support Groups Takes Center Stage for April Autism Awareness Month in Schools and Community Groups.
“What does it feel like to have autism?” “Is autism contagious?” “Can animals have autism?” These are just a few of the insightful questions posed by a group of 400 elementary school age children who attended ASCONN’s Autism Orientation for Peer Support Groups presentation made recently for the Plainfield region, for their monthly focus on disabilities assembly. As many schools have requested awareness programs for their students, ASCONN has developed a single presentation for groups ages K-12, which are geared to the developmental understanding levels of the audience by the presenter.

Originally produced in 2006 as three separate programs, the creation of this single presentation is by far the most innovative of the Autism Orientation workshop training series in that it is based on illustrations drawn by a teen-ager with an autism spectrum disorder, and is her explanation of autism within the information parameters ASCONN requested. In this new format, the premiere presentation was met with rave reviews from students and education professionals alike, and was a tremendous informative springboard into understanding for everyone who participated. With April, National Autism Awareness Month, just a short time away, this would make an ideal time to schedule this presentation for your school, youth, or community group. Contact us at 888-453-4975 or by email for more information. Other Autism Orientation workshop training programs available are:

• Autism Orientation for Newly Diagnosed Families – “Autism 101”
• Autism Orientation for Education Professionals and Support Staff
• Autism Orientation for Recreation Providers
• Autism Orientation for Faith Based Communities

ASCONN’s Autism Orientation workshop training programs have been chosen to be presented at the 2007 ASA National Conference in Arizona. More Info

January 2007: Mozart and the Whale. It is my distinct privilege to let you all know what a resounding success the Mozart and the Whale weekend event was for the autism community! The Autism Society of Connecticut was the host for the weekend for Jerry Newport whose story is the inspiration for the film. Jerry and his wife Mary have just had a book published, also entitled Mozart and the Whale which discusses their lives, their relationship and the movie in greater detail.

The weekend began on Friday evening at a Wallingford support group for adults with ASD. With almost 40 people in attendance, the conversation ranged from information about the making of the movie and its distribution, to relationship advice, to discussions regarding “cure”. On Saturday afternoon, R.J Julia Booksellers in Madison hosted Jerry for a book reading and signing. Jerry spoke to a packed audience of about 100 people, including parents, persons with ASD, educators and the general public. Jerry’s message that life is all about relationships, and that we are all human, with our own, individual foibles and tics, whether or not we are “diagnosed” with an ASD or considered neurotypical, resonated with everyone. The audience was so receptive, it even brought tears to Jerry’s eyes.

The day continued in Hartford at the Charter Oak Cultural Center, who graciously donated their space for our event. First off was a wine and cheese reception for about 50 people, members of the autism community and general friends who wanted to a chance to mingle with each other and talk to Jerry in person. This was followed by the screening of the movie, Mozart and the Whale to a capacity house of about 200. The audience was a wide mix of family, professionals, educators, persons with autism and the general public. Jerry spoke before the movie, took questions afterwards and signed books and copies of the DVD as well.

In Jerry’s own words, it was a “high functioning” weekend. The numbers of people who turned out to hear him as well as the fact that so many were not part of the autism community, but just interested in the topic, was overwhelming.

From the standpoint of what the goal of this event was - to provide a unique awareness experience and an opportunity for the autism community to come together and enjoy a relatively cost free, fun evening, this event can only be reviewed as a smashing success.
 

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