WIXLIB

Programs & EventsDinosaurs was the theme for this year’s ASM Family Retreatat St. Joseph’s College in Standish and a “roaring” good timewas had by all! We had 21 families and 31 children attending,a great turn out!Friday night “Family Fun Night” included various activitiesfor the families to enjoy. Rock climbing, pool time and amovie- “We Bought a Zoo” were a big hit. Because of the hotand dry conditions we were unable to prepare S’mores at thefire pit but our staff improvised and families enjoyed “indoorS’mores” and popcorn during the movie.Saturday morning brought hotter, humid weather but thatdid not deter our families at all. Saturday’s activities for thekiddos included a dino egg hunt, a little archeological diggingand creating their own fossils. We also had a visit from the“Awesome Balloon Twister” (Party Palooza) who amazedeveryone with his crazy balloon creations. The children tookhome crazy hats, bracelets, necklaces and a menagerie ofballoon animals. They also enjoyed the bounce house, gymtime, some outdoor fun and, of course, the pool.While the kids were hanging out with their awesome respitestaff, parents met with the Executive Director for thewelcome, introductions and Family Meet and Greet. The4parents’ fun activities were kicked off with the mind blowingtalents of Mind Reader, Christopher Grace. We are still tryingto figure out how he was able to do the things he did! He wastruly amazing! Deb Lipsky’s documentary was also big hit,allowing parents a peek into her wonderful life and interests.The afternoon held even more fun for parents, some choseto attend the painting class with the very talented SusanVincent, everyone had a great time and the paintings were asdifferent and beautiful as the artists who created them! Forthe parents who were not in the creative mood the wonderfulstaff of St. Joe’s provided kayak and paddleboard lessons onbeautiful Sebago lake, what a great way to beat the heat.Sticking with our theme, the Saturday night movie was “TheGood Dinosaur” shown on the big screen at the auditorium.For families who wanted a little more action the pool and rockwall were available to enjoy as well.Despite a few minor hiccups with scheduling, the weekendwent off without a hitch! The children and their families hada great time, we saw returning families reconnecting andcatching up and we watched new friendships, both parentsand kids, form. Friendships and support is what the retreat isall about and what a success it was, we are already lookingforward to next year.By Tara PerryMaine Autism Connections, Autism Society of Maine, Fall 2016

Programs & EventsCamp Summit is up and running! For quite a fewcampers, this is a literal statement. Despite the heatand the humidity, the kids have been full of energyand excitement for this year’s session. Mostly, this is probablybecause out of the ten campers, nine have been coming foryears and know all about the fun and games and crafts andfield trips that they can expect to experience. Already, we’vemade our signature tie-dyed t-shirts, had a pirate-themed day,enjoyed a full day swimming and sunbathing at Webb Lake,and we got to see a movie at the local theater today. It’s beenan eventful, but positive and happy week.To match the campers’ energy and excitement, we are luckyenough to have ten University of Maine at Farmingtonstudents working one-on-one with the campers. So far, thematches have been successful and the campers have reallytaken to their counselors. It is always amazing how fast abond between a child and their counselor can form; alreadythe UMF students are advocating for “their” kids. And, this isafter only four days of knowing them!Next week, we continue with the older group of campersand we have tons ofengaging activitiesplanned. Hopefully, theUMF students and therest of us will be ableto muster up the energyto greet the youngercampers with for thelast two weeks of camp!Given the energy andpositivity that this groupof paraprofessionals hasshown thus far, I don’tthink it’s going to be aproblem. Saying goodbyeto these awesome kidsis always much harderthan welcoming them tocamp.by Hattie DeRapsUpcoming EventsOctober 1, 2016Ride for AutismKennebunkport ConservationTrust BuildingGravely Brook Road, KennebunkportJoin us for a ride to remember! This bike ride covers severalmiles along the coastline in Kennebunkport, including upto five beaches and world renowned scenic view areas.Staggered start times for the 50, 25, and 10 mile routes arewell marked and offer an opportunity for everyone to finishtogether and enjoy a spectacular lunch.5th Annual Car ShowSunday, Sep 11, 20169:00am to 2:00pm (registration 7:30am)92 Mudgett Rd, Parsonsfield, MEPrizes, raffles, food, burnout session and entertainment!Enter what you ride or just come with your friends andfamily to enjoy the day!All proceeds to benefit the Autism Society of MaineEach route is relatively flat, offering opportunities to enjoya casual ride, or you can “crank it up” for an individualchallenge. Short rides of ten miles or less are very familyfriendly, or you can choose the Trail Ride at the SmithPreserve. Several trail heads are located within one mile ofthe Kennebunkport Conservation Trust building.To register: gistration is 35Maine Autism Connections, Autism Society of Maine, Fall 20165

Siblings of Autism - A New Partner and VIdeo ContentAutism Society - We are proud toannounce an important effort to helpsiblings of those living with autism.Working together, the Autism Societyand Siblings of Autism have formed apartnership to start supporting the needsof siblings of those living with autism.Siblings of Autism is its ownorganization, founded by JasonCherry. Many of you know Jasonfor his wonderful support and workwith helping the Autism Society and many localaffiliates. During the past year, we have been discussingways to continue to help siblings, and thru Jason’s visioncame about Siblings of Autism.Video Contest – How to EnterThe first effort Siblings of Autism is undertaking is acontest where siblings of those living with autism areencouraged to develop a short video that describes whatthey perceive as their gifts of autism and discusses howthe experience has had a positive impact on them. Thevideo can then be uploaded to the Siblings of Autismwebsite. A panel of volunteers will then review thevideos and determine which videos best describe the giftsof autism. Scholarships will be awarded to the siblingswho submitted the selected videos. Information on thescholarships that will be offered, as well assubmission timetables and rules are locatedat siblingsofautism.org.The purpose of this effort is to help siblingswho have demonstrated that they are ableto clearly see the positive gifts that are thedirect result of living with an individual on theautism spectrum. The deadline for submissionof videos is August 31, 2016. Decisions onscholarship winners will be announced inSeptember 2016. Seven scholarships willbe awarded as follows: One 10,000, One 5,000, Five 1,000. The Autism Society will serve as the fiscal andadministrative agent for this effort.Please share this information with those in yourcommunity who are siblings of individuals with autism.A sibling can be any age. Scholarships awarded can beused for post-secondary education opportunities, othereducational pursuits, or camps. For the purpose of thiseffort, a sibling who can be considered for a scholarshipmust have at least one brother or one sister who lives withautism. A sibling who has autism and has a brother orsister with autism can also apply for a scholarship.Source: -partner-video-contest/Swimming Lessons for Children and Adults with DisabilitiesThe Center for Therapeutic Recreation, a program of the Cityof Portland Recreation Department, provides adapted aquaticsprograms to children and adults with disabilities, includingautism. The 30-muinute lessons are taught by professionallytrained staff who hold certifications as special educationteachers and technicians. There are also recreation therapistsand aides, and who hold authorizations as American Red Crossswimming instructors and lifeguards.7-week modules and are conducted year-round. An enrollmentpacket must be completed prior to enrollment in classes.Classes are scheduled Monday through Thursday.For more information, contact Rose Cronin at 207-874-8874 or Karen McPhee at 756-8275.All swimmers work one-to-one with an instructor until skillattainment indicates they are ready to work in a small group.Instructors use Red Cross teaching strategies, materials, andlearn-to-swim progressions that are adapted for each individualswimmer. A certified lifeguard is on deck during all lessonprograms.Swim classes take place in the Reiche Community School andPool in Portland. Portland residents pay 10.00 per lesson andnon-residents pay 20.00 per lesson. Lessons usually occur in6Maine Autism Connections, Autism Society of Maine, Fall rapeutic-Recreation

Quilt RaffleAutism Society of MaineA full size quilt created with 14 years of Walk for Autism t-shirts!Professionally pieced & quilted with edges bound. A beautifully quilted swirldesign is featured with a green background. The colorful autism awarenessribbon finishes the edge. 10.00 a ticket or two tickets for 15.00 – there will only be 400 tickets sold!Tickets can be purchased at the ASM online store, at events where ASM ispresent (event locations will be posted on the ASM website), at the ASM Office,72 B Main St., Winthrop or call in your ticket request at 1-800-273-5200.The winner of the quilt will be announced on April 30, 2017. The winner maypick up the quilt at the ASM location in Winthrop or can be mailed to you.ASM Store: www.asmonline.org/asm-storefront.aspxMaine Autism Connections, Autism Society of Maine, Fall 20167

Camp Summit CounselorsThe success of Camp Summit hingeson the relationships developed betweenthe counselors and the campers. We areso fortunate this year to get a group ofwonderful counselors who are matchedso well with their campers. The campersnot only come for the wonderfulactivities and trips planned for themduring their two week stay at camp, butspecifically to join up again for anotherfun filled day with their counselors. Thecounselors have just two goals: to createan environment where their campersenjoy themselves and to end the daywith a camper who is just excited aboutcoming again tomorrow. As unique asevery camper who comes to camp is, thecounselors are all on the vast spectrumof being a college student. They all havedifferent abilities, goals, strengths, andpersonalities which creates an incrediblyrich atmosphere. While one energeticcounselor can keep up with our mostby Dr. Joel Kingactive camper, another can sit quietlyand read with a camper who just needsa period of low stimulation in order toenergize and re-enter the fray of camplife. One counselor develops a closerrelationship while bowling, anothercarefully helps pick out just the rightLego piece, while a third goes shoppingwith a camper to carefully decide ona jewelry kit to construct a necklaceor bracelet. As with all relationships,the counselors, as well as the campers,quickly learn what the other likes anddislikes, while establishing a lastingbond. Hattie DeRaps, the Directorof Camp Summit, is very talented inutilizing the creativity of the counselorsto design activities and theme days.There is a lot of joy at camp, with smilesand laughs filling all the rooms. Ialways thought that I was the one whoenjoyed the camp the most, but this year,there is a lot of competition among thecounselors for those who are finding thisexperience meaningful, life changing,challenging, but most of all, an absoluteblast.Back to School (continued from front)Teachers often take this position because they want to givetheir students a fresh start. You may need to explain why yourchild may fail unless the teacher understands his/her uniqueneeds and provides the necessary services, accommodationsand supports.7. Resolve Old Concerns and Issues.If you have concerns or issues that were not resolved duringthe last IEP meeting, request another IEP meeting immediately.Try to resolve these issues and concerns before your childbegins to have problems this year.8. Get a New Assessment.Consider getting your child’s skills tested very early in theschool year. Where are your child’s skills on standardizededucational achievement tests? Use these scores as baselinedata. You can compare these scores with scores obtained at theend of the year to measure your child’s progress.9. Go to your school’s Open House.In addition to giving you another chance to meet with yourchild’s teachers (and make a good impression), teachers oftenexplain their classroom rules during Open House. When youattend, you have a chance to see if your child may have troubleunderstanding the teachers’ rules. You will also be in a betterposition to explain these rules to your child.810. Get a bound notebook.Use the notebook as a “contact log” to send messages to theteachers. Write a sentence or two to the teacher(s) every day.Do not make your child the bearer of messages about problemsat school. Make an extra copy of your log often in case thenotebook is lost.Pat Howey, a member of the Wrightslaw Speakers Bureau, Patprovides training for parents, educators, and others who want toensure that children receive quality special education services.source: ��Many of these tips could and should be considered for anychild beginning a new school year. Children with ASD needmore attention given to this transition back to school dueto their unique personalities and needs. We know that eachchild is different and every family has constraints regardingavailability of time and resources. It is our hope that youdo as much as you can to facilitate positive communicationthroughout the school year to ensure a healthy relationshipbetween home and school. If you put in an honest effort todo this you will have done your job as a parent/ caregiver.”Autism Society of MaineMaine Autism Connections, Autism Society of Maine, Fall 2016

Legislative UpdateBy Dennise Whitley, ASM’s Legislative Liaison7 EASY STEPS TO ACCESSING AND FOLLOWING THE MAINE LEGISLATURE:The First Regular Session of the 128th Maine Legislature will convene on December 7, 2016 at 10:00am.This promises to be a robust session with every Senate and House seat in the Maine Legislature up forelection in November. Because there are 8 year term limits, a number of Legislators are retiring or, if theyheld a seat in the House, they may be running for a seat in the Senate. There are many new candidates fromall parties challenging incumbents all over Maine. What all of this means for the members of the AutismSociety of Maine is that we need to educate candidates about how the quality of life of the individual onthe autism spectrum and their families is impacted by social policy issues that influence service delivery.Many candidates throughout Maine knock on doors in their District to introduce themselves and listen to thecomments and concerns of the people they want to represent in the Maine Legislature. This is the opportunity for all of us toeducate our legislative representatives about policy issues that concern us as we strive to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of our family members and friends who are affected by autism. Please remember to vote on November 8th.One of the best and simplest ways to keep current with the Maine Legislature is to use the Maine legislative website. Maine hasone of the best and most accessible legislative websites in the country. Here are the 7 easy steps to access the website:1. http://legislature.maine.gov/ This home page screenprovides easy access tofinding information about yourlegislators and bill information.Under POPULAR ITEMS dropdown box click on the FINDMY LEGISLATORS and clickon the first letter of your townname and it will give you links toyour Senator and Representative.Click on their names and itwill show all of their contactinformation, including theirhome phone, email and theCommittee they serve on.2. Right now you will findinformation about the 127thLegislature on the Home page.Example of a bill that ASMadvocated for from last session:LD 1061 “An Act To Establisha Tax-free Savings Program forIndividuals with Disabilities”:Enter the bill number LD1061andclick on SEARCH. A SummaryPage will open and under StatusSummary you will find theCommittee hearing the bill andthe actions taken by the Houseand the Senate and the Governor.On the Left side of the page clickACTIONS for a more detailediteration of the actions taken.3. Next click on BILL TEXT ANDOTHER DOCS: This will giveyou access to the initial billlanguage and to any subsequentamendments and fiscal notes asthey occur. If the bill is passed,as this one was, the final law islisted.4. Click on STATUS INCOMMITTEE: This pagegives access to Hearing andWork Session dates and tothe copies of the testimonyheard in the Hearing. Clickingon SPONSORS will list allsponsoring legislators andROLL CALLS will list how theRepresentatives and Senatorsvoted if there were roll call votestaken. Many times there areno Roll Call votes unless thebill is contentious and is closeor if the action is to override agubernatorial veto which takesaffirmative action by 2/3rds ofeach chamber.5. If you want to see what billshave been introduced, go tothe HOUSE home page, clickon DOCUMENTS ANDLISTS which will bring up theDirectory of Bills for the 128thas they are introduced and givenan LD number in sequence. Clickon 1-199 and read the title of theBill; click on the bill and itwill bring you to the screenwith the bill information asdescribed in 3,4,5 above.are where most of the bills areheard and debated. Committeesare comprised of both Senateand House members. Select thecommittee you are interestedin, Health and Human Servicesand Appropriations are wheremost of ASM relative bills areheard. The Committee homepagecarries the membership and aspread sheet that gives all of thecontact information for each ofthe members of the Committee.It also gives the schedule of billhearings and work sessions forthe Committee when they arescheduled.7. Sessions of the Senate and theHouse are video broadcastthrough the HOME page byclicking on the designatedchamber audio symbol button.Committee Hearings and WorkSessions are accessed by clickingon the Audio Symbol andchoosing the Committee fromthe drop down list.6. At the top of the HomeScreen the links mostuseful are to the SENATE,HOUSE, COMMITTEES.On the COMMITTEESlink you can select JOINTCOMMITTEES whichMaine Autism Connections, Autism Society of Maine, Fall 20169

Welcome to the Autism Society of Maine Library!ASM’s Lending Library is a valuable and free resource forparents, caregivers, educators, children and professionalsworking with children and adults on the autism spectrum.The Lending Library is a FREE resource for Maine residents.The collection can be viewed on the ASM website or you mayrequest a printed list to be mailed to you. Stop by the office, orhave material sent to you (we will include return shipping label)by calling or emailing: 1-800-273-5200 email:library@asmonline.orgNew Books:Sexuality and Safety with Tom and Ellie by Kate E. ReynoldsA visual resource with anatomically correct and explicitillustrations that helps parents and carers teach girls & youngwomen, boys & young men with autism and related conditionsabout puberty and sexuality. Grade level 5 - 12What’s Happening To Ellie?: A book aboutpuberty for girls and young womenEllie Needs To Go: A book about how touse public Toilets safely for girls and youngwomenThings Ellie Likes: A book about pubertyfor girls and young womenAutism and th

Tena Hinds, Autism Information Specialist Coordinator Susan Vincent, Communications Director Tara Perry, Office Assistant Dennise Whitley, Legislative Liaison Maine Autism Connections is a quarterly publication of the Autism Society of Maine 72B Main Street Winthrop, ME 04364 Phone: 1-800-273-5200 Graphic Designer: Justine Bickford Proofreader .